Jerusalem African Community Center
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Mission Statement
JACC’s mission is to promote the well-being and quality of life for African refugees, asylum seekers and persons with no civil status in Jerusalem; to create a space for the community, managed by it, to foster community leadership; to create dialogue, connections and neighborly relations between the different citizens of the city.
About This Cause
JACC is the official NGO established in 2014 based on a grassroots project, started in 2007 by the group of local volunteers jointly with the asylum seekers and refugees living in Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, there are about 3,000 refugees and asylum seekers from Eritrea, Sudan, and Ethiopia who are facing a constant threat of deportation; lack of support networks; uncertainty regarding the future; limited employment opportunities, exploitation in the workplace; shortage of habitable housing options; difficulties in language and dealing with the authorities; denial of access to adequate health care; minimum access to welfare for treatment, support and rehabilitation. Our team of 8 paid staff members and 100 volunteers is working to improve the quality of life for this traumatized community What we do; JACC is first and foremost a center for the community, a place for gathering, open to all. JACC runs a number of regular programs focused on improving the quality of life of the members of the community and community development. Our current programs include: Rights Advocacy Center - JACC assists our community members in accessing their legal, medical and occupational rights. We also offer personalized assistance where it is most crucial: legal appeals against imprisonment, visa assistance, filling out asylum applications RSD (Refugee Status Determination), applying for health insurance, and making appointments for medical care. Additionally, we advocate for workers’ rights by ensuring the refugee community understands and can advocate for themselves with their employers. Psycho-social Support: operated primarily by social work students with supervision provided by a professional social worker. The program provides emotional, psychological and social support for families and individuals who are in distress. JACC also provides humanitarian aid in situations where medical and financial aid is needed desperately. English and Hebrew as well as computer classes are provided for adults. Classes are taught by dedicated volunteers and are meant to promote personal and professional development, as well as integration in Israeli society and in the workplace. A Tutoring Program program for elementary school children, in which the children meet regularly with volunteers to receive academic assistance and emotional support. Learning Center - An academic tutoring program, led by a professional coordinator and two special education teachers, together with volunteers, three days a week. The children get extra help with their homework and develop their Hebrew and English language skills as well as general study skills. In addition, the children receive emotional support and learn to improve their social skills. The program has excellent results, with the children showing vast improvement in school. Preparation for first grade is provided every year in partnership with the municipal welfare department to all the children going into first grade. This program is aimed to provide necessary practical preparation for school for both parents and children. In addition, the children receive a school bag with all the equipment they need for first grade. A Summer Program is held in August for children aged 12 to 15. The activities in this fun full, meaningful program include; swimming, horse riding; wood workshop, art workshops at the Israel Museum, first aid class and leadership building activities. Social and Cultural Events JACC organizes parties, cultural events, holiday celebrations and activities for adults and children. Youth Club is a "warm home" and addresses the physical, emotional, social and educational needs of the teens. It serves as a meeting place for children in junior high (grades 7-9), in order to strengthen the bonds between the children, encourage leadership skills and help them deal with their uncertain future. Vocational training program, run in partnership with Kol HaNeshama, for adult African refugees and asylum seekers who reside in Jerusalem. At the completion of a course participants will hopefully, have the necessary vocational skills to financially support themselves their families. Group therapy project for women who survived violence and torture, in camps in Sinai, in order to provide them with the tools to deal with their post-traumatic symptoms so that they can rehabilitate themselves and feel a normative part of society