Since it was established in 2005, Jewish Helping Hands has supported major projects in three countries: Israel, Rwanda and Cambodia and continuing smaller ones in several others.
Israel
If there is a needy person among you... you must open your hand and lend him sufficient for whatever he needs.
- Deuteronomy 15:7-8
Rwanda
Uphold the rights of the orphan; defend the cause of the widow.
- Isaiah 1:17
Cambodia
Train a child in the way he ought to go and he will not swerve from it even in old age.
- Proverbs 22:6
additional ongoing grant work
Vietnam
We work with the Catalyst Foundation Community Education Center in Vietnam. This small, desperately poor village hamlet contains a tiny minority group: the Raglai. They are 100 families with 177 children who face debilitating discrimination. There is malnutrition and a low level of education. As a result, the children are at high risk of being trafficked.
Our grant will enable ten children to attend school. We will be providing them with school materials, a bike to get to and from school, food and routine check ups with a clinic/doctor.
Philippines
The Jewish Helping Hands grant money will be used towards helping children in the Payatas Community. Extreme poverty, crime, drugs, poor sanitation, and precarious employment are the primary community concerns. A distinguishing feature of the area is the Payatas Dumpsite, the largest open dumpsite in the Philippines. Most of the Payatas residents earn a living either as garbage scavengers, construction workers, or drivers. In 2000, a massive trash-slide triggered by heavy rains buried thousands of homes and took many lives.
The students who go to Payatas Elementary School live in the area immediately surrounding the Payatas dumpsite and come from very poor families. While education is free in the Philippines, many students lack the money for school-related expenses. Jewish Helping Hands is awarding a grant of $5,000 to sponsor 5 children over the course of 5 years ($200 per child per year). The money these children receive will enable them to purchase uniforms, books, school supplies, and shoes.