The Ethiopian community in Israel faces challenges at every turn: unemployment, language barriers, cultural gaps, and most of all education that does not meet their needs.

72% of Ethiopian immigrant children live below the poverty line.

However, there is hope.

NACOEJ Limudiah programs in Israel ensure that Ethiopian-Israeli children attending them have a bright future and a world of career possibilities open to them. Since 1992, the NACOEJ Limudiah programs have offered the needed assistance for education in grades one through four (sometimes higher, depending on funding), and enable Ethiopian students to stay on grade level with, or surpass, their Israeli-born classmates.

• Current Limudiah Programs serve over 1,100 Ethiopian-Israeli children in 20 schools in 8 Israeli cities (Ramla, Rehovot, Be’er Yaakov, Lod, Rishon LeZion, Ness Ziona, Kiryat Ekron and Gedera), providing 10-14 weekly hours of after-school learning during the school year.
• Limudiah programs provide an excellent ratio of one teacher to eight students, enabling Ethiopian pupils to achieve and maintain grade levels through studies tailored to their individual needs.
• Hot lunches are provided for students. For many this is the only truly nourishing meal of the day.
• Textbooks, reading-for-fun books, study materials, and other school supplies are provided.
• Hebrew language, reading, writing, and arithmetic skills are emphasized.
• Academics are enriched with holiday celebrations involving parents, special study units, and field trips.
• Limudiah programs enable many Ethiopian students to rise to the top of their classes. While the Ethiopian-Israeli grade achievement level is at 35% for the entire country, overall grade achievement levels have reached up to 90% in NACOEJ programs!

“Without the Limudiah programs, the children would be on the street. The Limudiah help the pupils improve their grades, and reinforces what the children learned in the morning, particularly in language skills. The Limudiah staff is professional and can be depended on. The Limudiah provide warm, homelike, frameworks.”
— Principal, Rashbi School, Be’er Yaakov

The NACOEJ Limudiah have proven so successful in enabling Ethiopian children to achieve their often high potential in elementary school, and to qualify to attend academic high schools, that they are regarded as models all over Israel.

A waiting list of communities and schools urging NACOEJ to provide programs has developed. In communities where we already teach, hundreds of new young olim are enrolling in elementary schools. Only the question of funding prevents thousands of additional Ethiopian children from obtaining the education they need to move on to high school, college and productive lives.

Please help these children succeed in school and ensure their future!

Ways to help:

• $9,600 can sponsor an entire after-school class, providing specialized supplemental education as well as a hot nutritious lunch for all students.
• $1,200 can sponsor one child.
• $360 can cover the costs of a good school lunchfor one child for a year.
• $120 can sponsor a child in our Limudiah for a month.
• $36 can buy textbooks for at least two Ethiopian-Israeli elementary school children who could not otherwise afford them.

Donate Now

Download the Limudiah flyer!

For more information, please contact Gary Metzger at (212) 233-5200 ext. 228 or email gmetzger@nacoej.org.