British ORT

08 November 2007

A new World ORT project, SMILE, has been launched at Be’er Sheva’s Soroka University Medical Centre, a 1,000-bed teaching hospital linked with Ben Gurion University. It has been set up in cooperation with the Municipality of Be’er Sheva.

The hospital, which serves a catchment area more than half the size of Israel, has an education centre for paediatric in-patients. Each year, the centre’s teaching staff helps some 10,000 children of diverse ethno-religious backgrounds to continue their studies so that, once they are well again, they can return to school easily.

Under the SMILE project, 10th grade students from the local Makif Aleph Junior High School, which is part of World ORT’s Kadima Mada (Science Journey) programme, join volunteers from Israel’s elite cadre of trainee air force pilots to bring friendship and educational support to bedridden children at Soroka.

The young patients, who are unable to attend sessions at the education centre, are able to use 10 laptops provided by World ORT thanks to wireless internet links in the wards.

The Makif Aleph students will each be partnered with a patient in a non-infectious ward for weekly mentoring sessions. These sessions will assist and encourage the sick children with their studies, allow them to have a little fun and entertainment and provide them with company among their peers.

The cadets from a nearby air force base will provide on-ward oversight and support for the children.

ORT is also helping Makif Aleph through an Athena Foundation project, supported by the Israel Teachers’ Union, aimed at supplying every teacher in Israel with a laptop. World ORT’s initial contribution is funding the supply of 100 laptops to teachers at the Makif Aleph as well as in four elementary schools whose pupils are expected to join Makif Aleph.