American Friends of Neve Hanna Inc

A variety of issues and feelings are addressed without the need for verbal expression through the interaction between the animal, the child and the therapist.

For Neve Hanna children, this is much more than a place where they can watch, feed and pet the animals. It is the place where they have animal-assisted therapy. During therapy, animal-assisted therapists watch children interact with the animals and interpret their behavioral patterns.

Offers the children an introduction into the
adult world of productivity and to learn basic
professional, social and leadership skills.

A unique program designed for children and parents to improve their interaction and communication by learning how to bake bread together.

This group program helps teens who are in
need of intensive and frequent support to
facilitate a framework to deal with questions concerning development.

Music therapists use music and its forms to help improve health in many skill areas. Each child has the opportunity to learn a musical instrument.

Music as one of the expressive therapies, consisting of a process in which a music therapist uses music and its forms – physical, emotional, mental, social, aesthetic, and spiritual – to help improve health in several domains, such as mental functioning, motor skills, emotional development, social skills, and quality of life, by using music experiences such as free improvisation, singing, and listening to, discussing, and moving to music to achieve treatment goals.

The art and science of photography is taught in order for the children to capture and create images. This activity will give the children a feeling of self-worth and success.

Therapeutic Photography is an accessible means of communications, for people to share their thoughts, viewpoints, frustrations and joys. A visual diary can also serve as a way to help one chart, document and reflect on his or her journey. It involves taking, analyzing and using photos for the purpose of personal healing, growth, or understanding, whether done consciously or unconsciously. Children learn about the healing power of photography and how it can help them better express, understand and overcome obstacles, anxiety and depression.

Streetlight operates by the motto: “The best thing in the world is to do good deeds for others.

In 2009, with the initiative of a staff member, a group gathered, to begin a Teenage “Good Deeds” Youth Welfare Club where the children could be actively involved and engaged in Tikkun Olam, a Jewish way of giving and doing for others.

Until now, at Neve Hanna, these teens only experienced “receiving,” so it was clear that this would be a perfect opportunity to have them reverse roles and experience “giving.” This resulted in founding the first SACHI (Sayeret Chesed Yechudit) group ever in Neve Hanna. Over the years, it developed into an Israeli nationwide youth movement.

In 2019, under the strong leadership of Neve Hanna’s director, Itzik Bohadana, the Neve Hanna branch of this youth welfare club movement became independent aiming to develop a program reflecting the uniqueness of the Neve Hanna Children´s Home. Thus, Streetlight was born.

“We at Neve Hanna believe in Giving as a way of life. We reshape our children from being the beneficiaries to being donors and contributors to their community. The children who are in-need are now making a difference in the community. At the same time, we stress the importance of strengthening the self-image and self-value of the child in their own eyes as well as in the eyes of the community they are part of,” said Itzik Bohadana, Director at Neve Hanna and initiator of Panas Rehov

The children can join Streetlight, at the age of 12 or 13, after their B’nai Mitzvah. They take care of all the logistics, the fundraising, planning, purchasing and packing of the parcels with basic food supplies for families in need in their area as well as the distribution. They commit their free time volunteering two evenings a week. One evening is educational learning and discussing social activism, tolerance, mutual respect, giving and sharing, friendship and how they can grow into young leadership roles. Committing to values is a learned experience.

The Neve Hanna Children’s Home library will serve as an educational project and a self-support project. There will be a professional Librarian to supervise and educate the children and offer on the job training for our teens. This will give the teens the education, experience and job skills to pursue a career in Library Science.

The Neve Hanna Library will have many benefits: Foster a love of study and reading, provide a new kind of vocational training, instill interpersonal skills and inspire the pursuit of higher education.

Our campaign goal is to raise the essential funds to Build a Library, fill it with a 1,000 books and staff it professionally. Neve Hanna has done so much to empower its children. When you join our campaign, you help us do so much more. It all begins with one book and YOU.

The books that will be chosen thanks to your donations — may inspire them to pursue studies in biology, education, medicine, astronomy and a myriad of other subjects, and to continue learning at the university level. A book that inspires a Neve Hanna child to become the next astronaut or physician, novelist or painter, teacher or social worker, could be one that you buy and donate. Your participation in the Library Campaign will help make a difference in the lives of the children. When you buy a book, you'll help build a library----and empower the children for a better future.