How Do We Support Status-Less Children in Israel?

At the heart of Elifelet’s work are two after-school campuses operating in two Tel Aviv schools, from the end of the school day until late afternoon. Each campus serves several groups of children in grades 1–6, organized according to age and individual needs. Alongside the regular groups, smaller groups provide dedicated support for children with special educational needs. Our after-school teams include dedicated staff and National Service volunteers who are there for the children every day, throughout the year, providing consistent, warm, and caring support.

Through Elifelet’s different programs, each child receives an individualized schedule tailored to their needs, combining enrichment activities, one-on-one mentoring, psychological care, and other forms of support. Our educational and therapeutic teams focus not only on the children’s learning, but on their overall wellbeing. They maintain close and ongoing contact with parents and, wherever possible, help families address difficulties that affect the children’s lives.

Why Do We Support Status-Less Children in Israel?

We are guided by a deeply held belief that every child, regardless of their circumstances, deserves to enjoy their childhood and grow up safe and well.

In reality, refugee and status-less children are among the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children in Israel. They belong to a largely invisible community with very limited access to support and assistance, and many families struggle simply to make ends meet.

Parents often work long hours in low-paid, precarious jobs just to support their families, leaving them with limited time and resources to provide their children with the attention and support they need. Many of these children spent their earliest years in makeshift daycare centers operating out of small, overcrowded and poorly maintained apartments. As a result, they often enter the school system with developmental delays and emotional difficulties that can remain with them for years.

Where support is missing, Elifelet steps in. Through our after-school clubs and educational and therapeutic programs, we are there for children who might otherwise be left behind. Our aim is to address these inequalities, help children bridge developmental and educational gaps, and give them the support and opportunities they need to build a brighter future.

Our Mission and Vision

Elifelet – Citizens for Refugee Children is a non-political nonprofit organization dedicated entirely to the educational and emotional wellbeing of children. Our mission is to give status-less children in Israel the safe and nurturing childhood they deserve, support their healthy development, and bridge the significant gap between the limited institutional support available to them and their pressing needs.

Our vision guides everything we do: to enable every child in Israel’s asylum-seeking community to dream and pursue their dreams, while safeguarding their physical and emotional wellbeing and supporting the wellbeing of their families.

“Every child is a world unto themselves, and we must fight for their right to remain so, even if they happen not to belong to our own people. Elifelet does this in places where the state denies its responsibility and turns its back on the children living within it.”

— David Grossman, Board Member

“Elifelet rose from the ashes, from a hate crime, and the first decision we made was to build it as an organization rooted in love and dedicated to helping children grow.”

— Yael Gvirtz, Founder of Elifelet

Read the story of how Elifelet began here >