What we believe

Throughout its years of operation, Hamifal – the Institute for Educating Israeli Children – has been driven by its mission to educate, care for and rehabilitate at-risk children. These children come from very difficult and deprived socio-economic environments, which require them to be transferred from their homes by judicial and welfare authorities. In these cases, the families are unable to provide for even their most basic needs.

Currently, 800 children and teenagers are educated in our institutions, where Hamifal provides a warm and loving home, while encouraging growth through a warm and supportive educational framework.

Our educational approach is comprised of two main elements:

One – placing the child at the centre, i.e. – the child is the main focus of our educational model: their personality, life, and happiness drive our approach.

The second is the education of the child in a familial environment, where we promote a happy and full childhood within a healthy family setting, one that every child should enjoy.

The youth villages of Hamifal contain a number of nurseries (family homes), each of which is assigned a separate residence that includes: bedrooms and toilets for all the children, a kitchenette, a living room and a dining area. Each youth village is led by a principal, therapy staff (a psychologist, a social worker and an art therapist), and educational staff (tutors, extra-mural instructors, etc.). As a rule, several of these family homes create a youth village. An independent day-care centre in a municipality, kibbutz or city, is defined as a family residence.

An integral part of Hamifal’s approach is that it is not intended to replace the children’s biological families. We maintain the connection with the biological family through visits from parents to the children’s home and the children also visit their families during festivities and holidays.

We believe that through this model a strong bond is forged between the “parents” and the children. In turn, this creates a recognition for dedicated and nurturing father and mother figures, who play such a vital role in a child’s growth process.

We believe in nurturing personal relationships, in creating a supportive family atmosphere with the “parent” couple, and in providing around the clock availability to the experienced mental health and academic professionals which make up our multidisciplinary team. 

Undoubtedly, the combination of our model and range of expertise ensures a positive and encouraging experience for the children in our homes, providing them with the stable environment needed for typical child development. 

We believe that the family-educational model supports the growth of  personal relationships and assists in the realization of the full potential inherent in each and every child.

We believe that only our educational vision, which places the child at its heart, and through our purpose-driven organization, employing a professional and versatile staff, can we achieve the goals of this organization: education, care, empowerment, and the restoration of a healthy self-image, while simultaneously catering to all the needs of our children. 

We believe that investing in the lives of children at such a young age is crucial in shaping their future identity as independent and contributing adults in our society.

We believe in the ability of every child to break the cycle of the deprivation in which they were raised, and to grow out of this pain into a better future, as an independent adult who is capable of and desires to give back to their society.

Holistic arrangement:

Hamifal believes in holistic action as a driver of change, i.e., an array of solutions in the emotional, educational, therapeutic and social fields that are tailored to each child according to their needs. 

Upon their arrival to our institution, each child undergoes a multidisciplinary assessment of their needs. Following this, a unique and effective program is designed according to the specific needs of the child, as determined in the assessment.

Hamifal recognizes the importance of a child’s first years when it comes to fostering healthy emotional and social development. Moreover, immediate action as early as possible prevents the child from falling behind, experiencing frustration and failure. By reaching the child early and quickly, we are able to encourage the child and instil in them a sense of success and belief in their abilities. We believe that at-risk children can be empowered and the way to accomplish this is through the children themselves

Since most of our children face a variety of difficulties due to their disadvantaged backgrounds, Hamifal provides a variety of programs, services and interventions that help our children narrow any gaps and develop their abilities in order to reach their full potential.