“Pursue Your Dreams” Coaching for Life at CHW Hadassim
CHW Hadassim Children and Youth Village provides numerous programs for the children who live in the dormitories and family units. The youth village strives to ensure that each child’s needs are met. One such program, Coaching for Life, operates at CHW Hadassim in order to meet the needs of the Ethiopian children who reside there.
Coaching for Life is a mentorship program that pairs an Ethiopian child with an adult volunteer. The aim of the program is to provide children with a positive role model.
The program runs over the course of the year and includes interesting trips throughout Israel. Recently, the children from the program were taken on an exclusive tour to the elite air force base, Nevetim, in the Negev.
At Nevetim Airbase, the children met with soldiers from the Hercules Squadron, one of the most elite units in the IDF. This unit is responsible for military, civilian, and humanitarian aid both domestically and internationally.
This is an especially meaningful unit to the children’s heritage as it was the Hercules Squadron who carried out Operation Solomon; the mission that airlifted over 14,500 Ethiopian Jews to Israel over 20 years ago. These children were so moved to learn about their history. Many of them shared memories of their grandparents telling stories of that mission and how it saved their lives.
The aim of this excursion was to provide these children with an unforgettable experience that would inspire them to dream big. The children were encouraged to pursue their education and remain dedicated to their goals.
Two students shared their impressions from the visit. Shai, a grade 12 student, said, “I always dreamt of becoming a pilot but I never felt like I would succeed. This trip and meeting pilots who are like me, showed me that this is possible. This visit strengthened by will to become a pilot.” Esther, a grade 11 student, expressed, “This visit makes me want to follow my dreams. I know that no matter what I decide to do in life, I will succeed.”
These are such special and meaningful sentiments to hear from the children. It is clear that this trip had a tremendous impact on them!
