By Laurina Driesse

ICEJ staff recently visited a special needs daycare center in Kibbutz Usha, situated in the Zevulun region of northern Israel. During the visit the staff saw firsthand the dedicated work being done to support people with cognitive and physical disabilities, and autism.

Behind this work is a team that includes managers, social workers, nurses, occupational therapists, speech therapists, behavioral specialists and other professionals. Together, they create structured daily routines and programs that help participants develop skills, build confidence and experience greater independence.

Two special needs daycare centers are situated in close proximity to each other in adjacent kibbutzim and the ICEJ staff visited both.

Building Skills and Independence

At the first center, located in Kibbutz Kfar HaMaccabi, the manager, Leigh, who is also a social worker, showed our team around the facility where they witnessed various workshop activities in progress like preparing clay for making beautifully painted ceramic items, learning embroidery to create bags and wall-hangings, making special toys filled with a sand-bag intended to provide comfort and a sense of security for children with autism and a wood-work studio where special flower boxes and other items are made.

These activities provide opportunities to learn practical skills, encourage creativity, and produce items that can be enjoyed by others, with some prepared for sale in a small on-site shop. The team enjoyed purchasing some of the beautiful pottery items in the shop, and along the way, also visited the protective shelter donated through the generosity of our German friends.

Leigh explained that this center is an occupational facility for those over 21 years old with cognitive, autistic or physical disabilities. Some of their “clients” live with their parents, while others reside in group households. They have 120 clients who attend the center daily between 7am and 3pm and they operate in a friendly, open environment, without any fences on the property.    

After a short drive to the second center, located in Kibbutz Usha, the ICEJ leadership and the daycare center leadership sat down to a deliciously prepared spread of eats and refreshments. There was a wonderful time of sharing about the ICEJ’s work and how thousands of Christians around the world are supporting Israel, while also learning more about the Center’s facilities and care, and hearing about the wider network of facilities situated around Israel which caters for both Jewish and Arab clients with special needs. They also shared the importance of their work with supporting family members and their concerns about looking after their loved ones when they are no longer able to do so. 

A Shelter for a Vulnerable Community

The visit also included the dedication of a large bomb shelter for this facility. ICEJ Vice President for AID and Aliyah Nicole Yoder, together with ICEJ-Switzerland national director Dominique-Pierre Walter, placed two dedication plaques at the entrance. Operation Lifeshield’s director, Shmuel Bowman, explained how this is a special shelter for schools, approved by the Israeli Ministry of Education.

“Today we have had the privilege of dedicating this beautiful shelter for a facility that cares for special needs people, and we are so excited and so grateful to both our friends from Switzerland and from Canada who have made this special day possible”, shared Nicole Yoder.

The ceremony offered a meaningful expression of love and solidarity with a community that depends on both specialised care and protection during times of crisis. The new Usha shelter will protect the daycare center’s clients and staff while also serving nearby residents, since many older homes on the kibbutz do not have their own protective spaces.

Small Steps, Meaningful Progress

This Kibbutz Usha daycare center serves around 70 people each day through specialised programs tailored to individual needs. Some participants require assistance with everyday activities such as eating, dressing and showering. Others participate in structured behavioral programs designed particularly for people with autism, where even simple achievements can represent significant milestones.

One of the social workers, Tal, described how participants are progressing from using only spoons to eat with, to learning how to use knives and forks properly. “What might seem like a small step is, for these participants, an important part of developing life skills and independence”, she shared. “Daily schedules are carefully structured, with activities adapted to the abilities and needs of each individual.” For participants who cannot read, visual pictures are used to communicate the schedule and expectations for the day.

Activities are adapted to each participant’s fine-motor skills, cognitive abilities and individual needs. During the visit, ICEJ staff observed participants sorting coloured beans, painting noodles, playing games and using eye movement to control objects on a computer screen.

For participants at this special-needs center, the new bomb shelter offers protection while the center itself offers something more: hope, encouragement and opportunities to learn, create, work and grow according to each person’s abilities.

The ICEJ is dedicated to strengthening communities, protecting vulnerable Israelis and bringing practical Christian love to those who need it. Your support of our Israel in Crisis fund assists this essential work. Please consider a gift today at:

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