Projects
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First Grader's
Lollipop
Starting first grade is a milestone in every child's life. For an orphaned child, it can also be a poignant reminder that a beloved parent is missing.
The Amitsim Lollipop Project transforms this moment into an extraordinary celebration of the child and the family.
Named after the Hebrew acronym Leitzanim L'Yeladim Yetomim — Clown Doctors for Orphaned Children — Lollipop brings professional medical clowns and representatives of local communities directly into the homes of children preparing to enter first grade.
In a colorful, joyful visit filled with laughter and surprises, the children receive personal encouragement and recognition. When mayors and local leaders participate, they send an especially meaningful message: the child's family matters to the entire community.
At the heart of the project is a simple principle: a child who begins school without a mother or father should never feel that they must face this important milestone alone.
The visits also recognize the surviving parent's tremendous commitment to their child's growth and future.
Through Lollipop, we turn an ordinary school milestone into a lasting memory of joy, pride, confidence, and community support.
Ha-a-ma-tsa
The Haamatsa Project – A Year of Caring Showing Up. Building Trust. Making a Difference. Sometimes, the most meaningful gift we can give a child is simply being there. The Haamatsa Project connects orphaned children aged 4–14 with dedicated volunteers who become a familiar, caring presence in their lives. Through regular visits to the family home, volunteers build lasting relationships with children who have lost a mother or father, offering companionship, encouragement, and the joy of shared experiences. Once or twice a week, volunteers spend time helping with homework, playing games, creating, exploring interests, or simply enjoying everyday moments together. No teaching or therapeutic qualifications are required, just warmth, consistency, and a genuine desire to connect. All visits are coordinated with the widowed parent, respecting the family's routines and strengthening the supportive environment of the home. The project welcomes students, young adults, national service volunteers, and anyone willing to make a meaningful commitment of at least one year. Because for a child who has experienced a profound loss, knowing that someone will keep showing up can make all the difference.
National Amitsim Family Day
Too often, widowed parents and orphaned children feel invisible. Their struggles unfold quietly, while the rest of society continues with everyday life. Amitsim is working to change that. Following our initiative to establish a national day recognizing families raising orphaned children, we are creating an annual celebration that brings these families into the heart of Israeli society. The initiative combines three complementary expressions of recognition: A nationwide Box of Light campaign: Personalized Hanukkah gifts delivered to orphaned children in their homes, reminding each child that they are seen, remembered, and valued. A national family celebration: A joyful gathering bringing together widowed parents and their children from across Israel for a day of shared experiences, entertainment, family connection, and belonging. Public recognition: A national moment of acknowledgment that brings the families and their needs to the attention of Israel's leaders and institutions. Our ambition is to reach thousands of children and families, ensuring that no one is overlooked because of geography, background, or the circumstances of a parent's death. Because every family deserves to know that an entire nation stands beside them.
YWO Center
To bring them joy. To satisfy and To encourage.
A Place That Feels Like Grandma and Grandpa's Home
Every parent knows the exhaustion that comes with raising children. For a widowed mother or father, there is no partner to step in at the end of a difficult day, share responsibilities, or offer a moment to rest. And yet, their children need them more than ever. Our Amitsim Family Centers offer something precious: a place where both parents and children can finally relax, feel cared for, and simply enjoy being a family. Like visiting Grandma and Grandpa's house, children are welcomed with warmth, attention, games, music, creative activities, and their favorite treats. Meanwhile, their parents find friendship, understanding, professional guidance, and a chance to recharge alongside others who share their experience. Each weekly gathering offers four to five hours of activities, age-appropriate support, shared meals, birthday celebrations, and moments of laughter and connection. Beyond the fun, our centers help build lasting relationships. Parents find a community where they need not explain themselves, while children discover friends who understand their family reality. It's more than a place to visit. It's a place to belong.
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