Protecting Our Children

WIZO is launching an international campaign to raise funds to build bomb shelters in 11 WIZO day care centers to enhance the safety of over 1,000 babies, toddlers and professional staff; to minimize disruption of normal life for families; to enable parents to work in times of emergency; and to enhance WIZO day care centers, making them more attractive and competitive.

Time is of the essence: The government has instituted a temporary easing of licensing requirements (until the end of 2024) because of the war, which will help us fast-track the required building permits from local municipalities.

The cost of building each shelter ranges from 410,000 NIS to 1,250,000 NIS depending on the circumstances. Please donate via your local WIZO federation, or through the World WIZO website: www.wizo.org.

The Threat

Since the Iron Swords war began, over 15,000 deadly projectiles have been launched at Israeli cities. Despite the Iron Dome intercepting most, the constant threat disrupts life for millions. Yet, the gravest danger comes from Hezbollah in Lebanon, armed with 150,000 advanced missiles. Hezbollah is the world’s most heavily armed non-state actor, and has been described as “a militia trained like an army and equipped like a state.” A full-scale war could erupt imminently.

The Problem

·        11 (out of 167) WIZO day care centers, located in vulnerable geographic areas, have insufficient shelters – or none at all.

·        As the rocket threat from Hamas has receded, we have able to open almost all our DCCs, but the ones with insufficient shelters will be shut down immediately if the threat is renewed.

·        And now, when parents are registering their children for the next school year, one of the main things they seek is a day care center with sufficient bomb shelter facilities.

The Needs

·        WIZO needs to build 14 shelters in 11 day care centers throughout Israel

·        Example: The WIZO DCC in Beit Hakerem, Jerusalem, with 6 classes, 115 children and 30 staff (WIZO’s largest DCC), has no shelters at all

The Plan

Building new shelters in these day care centers will take different forms depending on the circumstances. Some will be prefabricated shelters installed on the grounds of the DCC. Others will be built from scratch by WIZO. In other cases, we will convert an existing room into a shelter by fortifying the structure.

The shelters will be equipped as sensory-motor rooms so as to provide a fun and educational space that enhances child development and can be used all year around.