Project objective
These days, we are engaged in establishing a therapeutic rehabilitation farm
for battle shock casualties in Balfouria settlement .
As a result of the Iron Swords war and the ongoing fighting of IDF soldiers and security forces,
we are witnessing an increasing number of fighterssuffering from post-traumatic stress disorder
and combat shock cases .
There is a need for a larger number of therapeutic frameworks and proper care in this subject.
t herefore, we are working towards establishing a therapeutic framework to meet this need.
The farm will serve as a home for the casualties, where they will be treated by the best professionals
to prevent the development of trauma. The farm will enable disconnection and calmness, creating a supportive
and strengthening environment for them. They will work on the farm, establishing a daily and consistent routine
where they will experience agricultural work, caring for livestock, sheep farming,
as well as individual and group therapies alongside mind-body treatments.
The group meetings, community connections, and activities such as growing vegetables and fruits and distributing
the produce to needy families in the food distribution project held by the association will all integrate combat
shock /social trauma victims into society and strengthen their personalities, enhancetheir security and self-esteem,
and provide them with great satisfaction from their contribution to needy families.
The farm will allow people to connect with the good within themselves
and start walking in a new and healthier direction.
Who We Are
"Ezer Lazulat" (Aid for Others) Association is an organization that provides assistance to vulnerable populations
and individuals with special needs.
The association was founded in 2016 with a strong desire to contribute to the community and strengthen
values such as helping others, patience, and generosity. TheAssociation operates a rehabilitation center in Afula Ilit,
serving a hot meal to about 100 people daily and distributing 250 packages of food products during holidays.
Additionally, the association assists with furniture, clothing, and purchasing medications.
The rehabilitation center is run daily by people with special needs who derive great satisfaction from
their activity and giving to others.
Personal Note
My name is Sandy Ben-Zaken, 42 years old, living in Kibbutz Yifat, married to Karen,
and a father of two young children. I hold an first degree in special
education and sciences from Levinsky College in Tel Aviv and work with Kinneret Welfare Services,
a rehabilitation framework for people with special needs.
I founded the "Aid for Others" Association seven and a half years ago and have been managing
it on a voluntary basis since then. The association was founded out of a deep empathy for the society
in which I live and the nation to which I belong.
The desire to establish the therapeutic-rehabilitation farm comes from a very personal place.
I was a fighter in the Golani Brigade, and as a result of the fighting during Operation "
Protective wall", friends who fought by my side were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
This issue has accompanied me for many years. Matania is a close friend of me who fallen in battle,
the farm called by his name and to his memory. I strongly believe in people and in working the land as a primary therapeutic tool.
I know that open spaces and nature can work wonders on the human soul, same as iving and helping others .
I feel a strong need to implement the project and support those who have been injured, broken,
and torn so that we can all be whole again.
