About the project
Greater Katamon is located in southwest Jerusalem and was populated in the beginning of the 1950’s through 1960’s. At the time, new immigrants, mostly from Northern African communities and Arab countries, who were living in tent cities, moved into this neighborhood. In more recent waves of immigration, 200 Ethiopian immigrant families (1,000 people) joined these veteran Israelis in this community.
Our priorities in this are for young families and the elderly. Both populations make up a significant portion of this vast community. For young families, our goals are to assist children through teenagers by providing them with appropriate frameworks, which included structural renovations of a family center, known as the Kangaroo Family Center, which now services young families with programs for children and mothers, after school services, parenting programs and a diagnostic center. Significant emphasis was also placed on youth, offering them a Teen Center called Hamakom (The Place) for their after-school use and an academic center for children who need more academic assistance than they receive at home. When it comes to the elderly, our goals were to renovate Beit Hofmann into what it is today, a state of the art day center for those in the community who have retired yet want to continue to learn, remain active and secure 21st century skills like computers and more. Some additional accomplishments include:
50 students participated in after school enrichment activities.
At the Center for Improved Academic Performance, 80 students from the 7th to 12th grades benefited from a learning center for students in need of academic assistance.
At the Hamakom Teen Center, 1,100 young adults ages 12-21, found a second home, a place to “hang out” rather than roaming the streets.
12 Ethiopian students took a digital communications course to narrow the digital divide amongst this population.
6 Ethiopian students received musical instruments to participate in a band.
600 community members benefited from the community’s Time Bank, designed to barter services between and among community members.
70 children of Ethiopian descent received small group training to improve their literacy.
The Kangaroo Family Center was completely renovated and has a learning enrichment center with computers and books for small children, afternoon enrichment programs for school age children, classes for new parents, computer classes for adults, family leisure activities, special needs therapeutic classes, day care, and cultural events.
15 children of Ethiopian descent received subsidies to attend summer camp.
A local leadership development course was held through the neighborhood community advocacy program.
A new playground in the community center was built.
10 girls from the Greater Katamon neighborhood took part in 15 different art activities that included beautification projects in the neighborhood.
The courtyard adjacent to the local kindergarten was renovated.