Let's support kids with hearing disabilities

Dear Donors,

today – 9th October 2023 – Effetà Institute in Bethlehem is closed. On Saturday morning 7^th October more than 3.000 rockets coming from Gaza Strip had been launched by Hamas and had hit different Israeli cities. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the country is “at war” and a new conflict between Israel and Hamas has started.

During these days of violence and fear, our thoughts and commitment go to all the children that attend lessons in our local partner Institute in Bethlehem. The school was founded in 1971 and 24 students had the opportunity to start an audio-phonetic recovery program. Since that year, the Institute allowed a lot of children with hearing disabilities to receive education and support, even in less peaceful moments. Through speech therapy children can improve their competences and skills that increase their autonomy, independence and freedom, going beyond prejudices and discriminations. At school students also learn foreign languages and at the end of the year they can correctly speak English and Arabic.

Lessons restarted on the 23^rd of August after the summer break, a new school year has begun and it seems more challenging than expected. The school is a reference point for the whole local community and we are absolutely aware of its importance: a child with deafness could face learning and socialization problems that with the time could become social, psychological and economic difficulties. That’s why the role of the school and of rehabilitation is so fundamental!

Our support to Effetà Institute never stops and also to your help we are strongly committed in promoting children rights. Our wish is that peace may always prevail!

Thank you!

Dear Donors,

In 1971 twenty-four children with hearing disabilities begun the audio phonetic rehabilitation program in Effetà Institute in Bethlehem. Since then, for 52 years, the Institute has provided assistance and education to 200 children every year, allowing them to learn and listen, to communicate and socialize.

With this report we are really happy to update all of you on the activities developed during the last three months. During all the school year, and in particular after Christmas holidays, the school has organized individual workshops that involve each student and a professional speech therapist: through phonetic exercises all the students can learn how to understand and formulate oral messages. During each session each child is encouraged to learn how to express him/her thoughts and feelings in a clear way. These workshops will go on till the end of the school year. Moreover, for the tenth year in a row, the school has organized the graduation ceremony for the last-year students that have passed all the final exams. We would like to wish them the best for their future!

These extraordinary results are possible thanks to the daily work of all the teachers and speech therapists that every day dedicate themselves to the educational programs and audio phonetic rehabilitation lessons provided to all the students of the school. Thanks to their skills, professionalism and devotion all the children can talk and learn.

In Palestine 3% of the population still has hearing problems. Often hearing-impaired children cannot receive the help and the assistance they need. Thanks to your support to this project, deafness will not become marginalization!

Thank you!