Back to Sderot

And now, as Israel struggles to rise from this tragedy, big questions arise: How do we go back to restoring normal life in a post-October 7 world? Will the families of Sderot return home? How do we support all these traumatized families?

One thing is for certain, WIZO will be there. In every crisis, in every challenge that Israel has faced, WIZO has always been there. And our global WIZO family has always been there to support us on the ground. WIZO is taking the first steps back to Sderot by re-opening our day care centers.

In February, WIZO launched its fundraising and awareness campaign, BACK TO SDEROT and appealed to our 38 federations around the world to lend a hand in rebuilding this iconic Israeli town. 

As relative safety is restored to the South, and Israel begins to rebuild its devastated communities, we need to go back to Sderot. We need to reopen our day care centers and bring back our staff.

Bringing education back

Before October 7, WIZO’s 3 thriving day care centers were consistently at capacity, meeting the high demand for child care in the city. Having a safe, reliable and caring center to place your child is the first step towards a normal routine for any family. As we learned during the Covid pandemic, daily life — particularly for women — hinges upon childcare and education.

Nearly 5 months into the war, we need to reopen our day care centers and provide normalcy and routine, help our children heal and build resiliency and assist our families in rebuilding their lives.

The cost of reopening our centers in Sderot will be significant. But the cost of not being there for the families of Sderot will be even higher.

Bringing our children back

The psychological toll on the children of Sderot is profound. It is estimated that even before October 7, 60% of Sderot’s children suffered from PTSD. Now, as the families of Sderot return to their homes WIZO needs to be on the ground, ready to help.

The 200 children who were once cared for in our day care centers will need special care in the form of enrichment activities to help reduce stress and educational gaps.

Bringing our staff back

When the families of Sderot were evacuated on October 8, so too were the 50 teachers and caregivers that worked at WIZO’s day care centers and Open House. Now, WIZO faces the challenge of rehiring staff members who have found other work or who are understandably hesitant to return to work in Sderot. 

To make this possible we need the help of our WIZO supporters around the world. We must go back to Sderot, because when there is a need, WIZO is there.