WIZO Israel: creating community
WIZO Israel is impacting Israeli society through 38 branches from Kiryat Shmona to Eilat, operated by 2,000 volunteers and 110 employees. Our activity is focused on promoting gender equality and creating impact with specialized projects that meet the needs on the ground. WIZO Israel runs educational, rehabilitative, empowering and prevention programs for women, girls and children with the goal serving a wide range of different populations and needs in each community.
Our main goals:
To serve as a center of meaningful activity for the local community.
To efficiently and creatively address needs that arise on the ground.
To recruit, develop and retain volunteers for the movement’s continued existence.
WIZO Israel
This year, our more than 430 programs had an impact on 20,000 women, girls, children, older people, soldiers, and more. 120 are core programs and approximately 350 were initiatives and one-off events at WIZO headquarters and WIZO branches. Some of our main projects are:
Bigudiyot
WIZO operates the largest secondhand clothing chain in Israel, with 45 shops run by 900 volunteers. The chain’s revenues go back into the community in the form of programs for women, children and girls. The chain is founded on three main principles: 1. Providing affordable clothing to those in need. 2. Promoting environmental sustainability through recycling. 3. Providing a space for older people to enjoy meaningful volunteering, forming social connections and reducing loneliness.
Programs to Benefit Children
WIZO Israel branches implement educational programs for young boys and girls such as: “Pninim” (Pearls); “A Good Hour with a Child”; “A Peek at First Grade”; “Bridging Academic Gaps”; “Otzma Tzeira”; “Young Leadership”; “Protected”; the “Selfree” body positivity project; bar and bat mitzvah events; and countrywide activities to mark the International Day of the Girl.
Women's Empowerment Programs
WIZO Israel branches operate programs with the goal of fighting domestic violence and empowering women: Safety Net communities for victims of domestic violence and their children; “Taking Responsibility” (initiatives for the eradication of violence against women); “Cooking Up Business”; “Mother First”; “Mothers and Daughters”; programs for single mothers; women’s leadership workshops; programs for women in crisis (retirement, divorce, unemployment and widowhood); and more.
