Vocational Training - Women Escaping Prostitution

So far, in 2023, we completed 21 courses for 101 students, 80% of whom completed their studies successfully.

66 of these students are currently employed (approximately 75% of the number of graduates who are eligible for employment). 

We serve a diverse range of women, including Palestinian women, women from the refugee community, and Israeli women ranging from 17-60 years of age, all of whom struggle with financial insecurity, debt bondage and difficulty meeting even their most basic needs. We continue to support our students in securing and maintaining safe and stable housing, one of the main challenges facing our students. 

Update on Activities:

New Haifa Branch: Over the past year, many meetings were held between Her Academy’s senior staff and NGOs operating in Haifa with our target population in order to learn about this specific community and their needs. We are pleased and excited to report that the new branch site has been secured, and renovations are to begin in the coming weeks, with doors scheduled to open in the fall of 2023. Over the course of the year, we plan to support 200 students in our Tel Aviv branch, and 40 students in our Haifa branch. 

Support to Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Stateless Individuals: At the end of 2022, Her Academy received a grant from the UNHCR to support Her Academy’s students who fall under the above categories. Of our current students, thirteen are refugees, asylum seekers or stateless individuals from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Cuba, Russia and East Jerusalem and the Ivory Coast, seven of whom are single mothers. The majority of these women are in Hebrew reading and writing courses at Her Academy, with one student who is in advanced courses such as computer skills and child-care. Many of these women were trafficked and experienced rape, torture, and other forms of abuse. The process takes much more time than our regular students as they are mostly living in fear of deportation, of violence by men in their community, by their landlords etc. They are all post traumatic and every new initiative, like starting a new course, takes a lot of energy and courage.

All of these women receive support and guidance from Her Academy, including the provision of food, clothing, rent subsidies as needed, transportation expenses and funds for babysitting during courses or work hours. We phone them to make sure they are on their way to study, sometimes we need to pay for taxi fares because they are too frightened or in the middle of a panic attack and can't get on a bus. We phone them to make sure they made it home. In the winter, we bought heaters and blankets for them and their children, a bed for a growing boy, a baby bassinet etc. We help them with food and they are an integral part of each holiday meal. We will continue to support these students on their path at Her Academy and guide them through their individualized plans that our staff built with each of them. 

Crowdfunding and Awareness-Raising Campaigns: In addition to our vital work with our students, Her Academy also invests efforts in raising awareness to the plight of women who suffer from gender-based violence. The crowdfunding campaign raised funds for the renovations and opening of our Haifa branch and its launch was accompanied by two awareness raising events: 

A live exhibition at Tel Aviv’s Habima Square entitled, "What's the noose around your neck?", to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The exhibition featured women and life-like dolls hanging from guillotines in central Tel Aviv, to mark the various atrocious acts of violence perpetrated daily against women. The second event was entitled “Watching a Revolution” and featured films created and produced by eight graduates of Her Academy’s film production course. 

Building Community: Fostering community is one of the most important goals in our work, since we’ve found that loneliness and isolation are the most inhibiting factors for our students in their integration into society and the workforce.   Below is an update on activities we hold for this purpose:

1. Holiday events: The holidays are a painful time for most of Her Academy’s students, which highlight their loneliness, especially in Israel’s family-oriented society. Therefore, every year we celebrate Purim, Passover and Rosh Hashanah together at Her Academy with our students. In addition to beautiful holiday meals, students enjoy holiday gifts and vouchers, for themselves and their children.  
2. Ongoing Social Activities: Not long ago, a student told us, "I have a family, but they don't care about me. If I don't come to class at Her Academy, you call and ask about my whereabouts. You give me love and attention. You are my family." Sadly, this is the case for most of our students, and as such, it is difficult for them to make social connections. As such, every two weeks we hold a social activity intended for enrichment and connection between our students. 
3. Field Trips: The difficulties and anxieties that our students experience in every area of their lives are numerous and cannot be anticipated in advance. One of the students shared her difficulty in forging new friendships and concerns regarding meeting people outside the walls of Her Academy: "What if I am robbed or get attacked on the way?" she asked. 

In order to help create connections beyond the classroom, we hold an annual school trip for our students. One of the students told us "I'm 49 years old and this is the first time I'm going on a trip. I'm excited like a small child."

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support of Her Academy's work!