Our small staff, together with about 100 volunteers, runs many regular programs focused on improving the quality of life for asylum seekers. Our current program areas include:
Education
We offer educational programs for all members of the community. These programs include tutoring to provide additional academic and emotional support to children, a learning center for 8-12 year-olds, a youth club for teenagers, a music class for 2-3 year-olds, summer programs, as well as Hebrew, English, and computer lessons for adults. We are also building a program of vocational training for adults to help prepare them for improved employment opportunities.
Rights Awareness
Many community members are unable to access their legal, medical and occupational rights. At JACC’s Rights Advocacy Center, our staff and volunteers offer personalized assistance where it is most crucial: visa assistance, filling out asylum applications RSD (Refugee Status Determination), applying for health insurance and organizing medical assistance where insurance is not available. We also ensure that the refugee community understands and can advocate for themselves with their employers and assist them when their rights have been abused.
Psychosocial Support
Our Psycho-social Support Center provides emotional, psychological and social support for families and individuals who are in distress, including individual and group therapies. We also provide humanitarian aid in situations where medical and financial assistance is needed.
COVID-19 Response
JACC has been working as both a welfare service provider and a public advocate for the community during the pandemic. We provide timely information regarding government guidelines in the relevant languages and have also opened a hotline run by community members where those in need can attain vital support. Our Emergency Aid Fund distributes hundreds of thousands of shekels worth of food, medicine and baby supplies to those in need. Additionally, we are advocating on behalf of community members at risk of eviction as well as those in need of medical care.
Social and Cultural Events
JACC organizes many events to strengthen intercultural relations and promote dialogue between Africans and Israelis.