Association for Children at Risk

The Association's mission is to provide intensive treatment during the crucial years (2-7) and to be able to accept and treat every child -- regardless of where they live -- diagnosed as autistic and is in need of massive intervention. The Association opens framework in Israel’s most distant and under-resourced periphery communities including ones in the north and south of Israel. In northern Israel, we work in 17 kindergartens from Taybeh to Metula (and many in between). In Southern Israel we are in 15 frameworks in Ashkelon, Ashdod and Eilat.  Local municipalities, in the north and south, consistently approach us to enter into new kindergartens to provide treatments. But there are many challenges in working in Israel's periphery including:

Geographical dispersion – the periphery is characterized by small communities with large distances between them:

Lack of health professionals who are experts in Autism: It's virtually impossible to find health care professionals who are also experts in Autism. The local professional shortage means that we pay for the transportation and time of staff from central Israel.

 Rapid growth of number of frameworks: The periphery is going through an accelerated phase of opening therapeutic kindergartens which means that the Association needs to quickly build professional therapeutic teams.

Low socio-economic population: According to the Health Ministry, a child on the Autism spectrum disorder is entitled to receive 14 hours of paramedical treatment in therapeutic kindergartens but the parents are to pay a minimal monthly participation fee of 600 shekels a months. However, in the periphery 65% of parents cannot afford this fee and the Association covers this cost.  In addition, the municipalities themselves are financially poor and are unable to provide equipment and resources that are fundamentally needed for providing effective treatment.

Fundraising Target - $300,000