Israel-Gaza War Fundraiser for Disability Families

Dear GlobalGiving Donors,

Thank you for standing with families of children with disabilities in Israel during one of the most difficult periods our country has ever faced. Your generosity has helped families survive months of fear, disruption, and uncertainty.

In this update, we share the story of Karin Uliel, because her life reflects exactly why your support matters. It shows what early intervention, professional care, and a supportive community make possible. It also shows why safe, fortified facilities are not a luxury, but a necessity for children with disabilities living under ongoing security threats.

Karin is a Master Sergeant in the IDF, a senior medical management officer, and the mother of seven children from Ashkelon. She is also the mother of Ben, her sixth child, who has Down syndrome.

Karin’s story is not unique. It represents thousands of families raising children with disabilities while also carrying the responsibilities of work, service, and caregiving under constant security threats.

When Karin was 22 weeks pregnant, a doctor told her, “Your fetus has Down syndrome.” Another doctor pressured her to terminate the pregnancy, telling her that she had "a monster in her belly." These words stayed with her for years. For months, she struggled alone with the decision. She told no one, not even her children. She judges no one for terminating their pregnancies, but she just couldn't stop his heartbeat.

Today, Ben is six years old. “He is my world,” Karin says. “The moment they placed him in my arms, I fell in love. I had already gone through the grieving during the pregnancy.”

When Ben was 10 months old, Karin enrolled him in Chimes Israel’s Rehabilitative Early Childhood Center in Ashkelon. For three years, he received daily therapies that helped him develop and flourish. Just as importantly, Karin received something she had not realized she needed.

“For the first time,” she says, “I felt I was not alone. Ben received the tools he needed to grow. I received the support I needed as a parent. It gave me strength.”

What the War Made Impossible to Ignore

Ben thrived at Chimes Israel. During the war, Karin continued to serve every day in the IDF. Her husband worked as an essential employee. Their seven children remained at home in Ashkelon, under constant rocket fire and hiding in their bomb shelter. Life did not pause.

At Chimes, the war revealed something many families were forced to confront. Children with disabilities in Ashkelon are receiving critical early intervention in buildings that were never designed to keep them safe in an emergency. For years, Chimes Israel’s Rehabilitative Early Childhood Center has operated out of four converted residential houses. These structures are cramped, not fully accessible, and critically, they do not have adequate bomb shelters.

When sirens sound, children and staff have approximately 30 seconds to reach safety. Many children cannot move quickly. Some use walkers or wheelchairs. Others are overwhelmed by noise and fear. Not everyone fits into the shelters.

For parents like Karin, who serve their country while raising children with disabilities, the war exposed a painful imbalance. While she serves her country every day, her child is left more vulnerable than others, not because of his needs, but because the facilities meant to support him were not designed for safety in times of crisis.

Early intervention is essential. But it must also be safe.

Why We Must Act Now

Our original long-term plan was to build a brand-new fortified center on land granted by the municipality. While this vision remains important, construction would take up to six years.

For children between six months and three years old, six years is too late.

These are the most critical years of brain development. Every missed month of therapy can mean a lost opportunity to walk, speak, communicate, or gain independence. Children like Ben cannot wait.

A Faster, Life-Changing Solution

Today, we have a solution that meets both urgency and quality.

Chimes Israel has identified a large building in Ashkelon that can be renovated, fortified, and transformed into a modern, fully accessible early childhood rehabilitation center within just one year. The new center will include spacious classrooms, specialized therapy rooms, large protected shelters, and safe outdoor play areas.

We are not compromising on care. We are only shortening the timeline.

Government partners and private donors have already committed significant support. To complete the project and open the doors next year, we still need to raise $1.4 million.

What Your Support Makes Possible

Your donation helps ensure that children with disabilities can receive uninterrupted therapy in protective spaces. It gives parents peace of mind. It allows professionals to do their work without fear. And it ensures that early intervention continues, even during times of crisis.

As Karin says, children with disabilities cannot thrive without a strong foundation. That foundation includes skilled staff, daily therapy, supportive parents, and safe, secure facilities.

Thank You for Standing With These Families

In a time when so much feels uncertain, your support creates something concrete and lasting. A place where children like Ben can grow. A place where families are not alone. A place where safety and care exist side by side.

Thank you for being part of this effort, and for helping Ashkelon’s most vulnerable children get the start in life they deserve.

When the Gaza war began, Chimes Israel rushed to provide emergency relief for families of children with disabilities in Ashkelon. We delivered food vouchers, medications, and therapy equipment directly into homes, and supported parents through weekly visits and remote learning. Thanks to hundreds of supporters, our children and families made it through months of lockdown and danger.

But the war also exposed the unsafe and unsuitable conditions of our current centers. For years, children in Ashkelon—just six miles from Gaza—have received therapy and education in four makeshift residential houses. These cramped buildings lack accessibility and, critically, do not have adequate bomb shelters. In an emergency, children and staff have just 30 seconds to reach safety. They usually don't make it ontime. Not all fit into the shelters. 

A Faster Path Forward

Originally, our long-term plan was to build a brand-new fortified center on land granted by the municipality. While exciting, this option would take up to six years before opening its doors—far too long for children in their critical early years of development.

Now we have a better solution. We have identified a large building in Ashkelon that can be renovated, fortified, and transformed into a modern early childhood rehabilitation center within just one year. The quality of the center will be everything the children deserve—spacious classrooms, therapy rooms, large safe shelters, and outdoor play areas. The only thing we are cutting corners on is time.

Every Donation Matters Now More Than Ever Before

Early intervention is everything. Ages six months to three years are the most critical for brain development. Every month without therapy is a lost chance for a child to walk, talk, or learn to communicate. That is why we must act quickly.

We have already secured substantial commitments from government partners and private donors, but we still need to raise $1 million to finish the project. With your help, the children can move into their new, safe center by next year—not in six years.

Every donation—large or small—brings us closer to opening the doors. When you give, you are not just building walls and classrooms; you are giving a child with disabilities safety, therapy, and the chance to thrive.

Join Us

In these difficult times, when so much feels out of our control, this is one place where we can make a difference—together. Thank you for being part of our global family, and for giving Ashkelon’s most vulnerable children the start in life they deserve.