first hug association
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Mission Statement
Hundreds of newborns are abandoned each year in Israeli hospitals. Often, they suffer from birth injuries or congenital disorders and are destined to a long hospital stay without tender loving care. The First Hug Association provides abandoned babies with caring touch, affection and emotional nurturance that they desperately need for healthy human development. A cadre of 500 volunteers fills the void created in the absence of the biological parents until the babies are released and placed in a home. First Hug volunteers also care for isolated babies without parental presence. Currently, we are active in 28 hospitals and rehabilitation centers nationwide. First Hug is the only Association in Israel to care for abandoned babies.
About This Cause
First Hug Association The importance of touch is intuitively easy to understand. Research has proven that daily touch is necessary for a baby's cognitive development. At the first stages of life, a caring touch creates the feeling of security, builds a positive self-image, enables the proper development of a baby and is extremely important for the child-parent bond. Vision The First Hug Association's mission is to care for every abandoned and lonely baby within Israeli hospitals. We are committed to fill the void created in the absence of the biological parents and to provide for the cognitive and emotional needs of each and every abandoned baby which are extremely important for his proper development. First Hug Each year, hundrads of newborns are abandoned in Israeli hospitals. These babies are therefore doomed to an unknown period of solitude in hospital wards without a loving touch and dedicated parental care. The medical staff at the hospitals, however dedicated, is overloaded and can only provide for the baby's physical needs. They do not have the time to provide for all the infants' emotional demands and at this point exactly the First Hug Association provides its assistance. First Hug Association was established in 2004 by Michal Koriat. Michal came across an internet post regarding abandoned babies and decided she could no longer ignore this phenomenon. Since that moment she dedicated her time to understanding the problem and realizing she has the power and the tools to make a change. Michal believed that only by establishing a professional and organized non profit organization she will be able to realize her vision- providing care for every abandoned and lonely baby in Israel. Currently, the association operates an array of approximately 530 volunteers who care for abandoned and lonely babies in Israeli hospitals. Volunteers provide daily care and fill the empty void created in the absence of each baby's mother. They provide the caring touch and affection babies need in their first few months in this world. Volunteers receive professional training by the association's social workers. These social workers, who are experts in the area of child welfare, are the link between the medical staff at the hospitals and the volunteers of First Hug. They support our volunteers and the medical staff by providing consultation and out-of-the-box solutions to ensure the hospitalized babies' needs are taken care of. The donations received are dedicated to sustaining and expanding our work. Our working model is unique and we implemented it within 29 of the hospitals and rehabilitation institutions across the country. The babies we hug Since its establishment, the association supported more than 2,000 babies. Each year hundreds of babies are deserted and left alone in Israeli hospitals. Many of them suffer from defects and complex medical conditions. Like all babies they are in need of a warm hug, a caring touch and a lot of affection. Our volunteers care for these babies needs in the absence of a mother and a father. First Hug assigns each baby a small group of volunteers that provide daily care throughout his hospitalization period. This guarantees that the baby is not exposed to too many people, and will be able to identify his caregivers, much like family members. Our volunteers spend time with the babies, provide care and affection, play with the babies, sing and read to them and create a nursery-like environment for them using hanging mobiles and toys. Following the hospitalization period, which lasts between a few weeks to a few months, the baby is transferred to a foster family, an adoptive family or to a rehabilitation institution, according to his needs. Donations First Hug is not supported by governmental or public institutions. Our activities are strictly funded by private donors or business donations. The association works in full transparency and is highly effective. Each donation received is dedicated to our activity within the hospitals across the country. Donations are used to support our array of social workers which is required by the hospitals we work at for us to operate our volunteer work. This includes training and professional accompaniment. Thanks to the dedicated social workers and professional coordinators First Hug is well known by various hospitals as a non-profit organization caring for abandoned babies in Israel. With your support, we will be able to hug the hundreds of abandoned babies and guarantee a better future for them. The institutions and rehabilitation facilities in which the association is active are as follows: Jerusalem- All hospitals, Meir Medical Center, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Laniado Medical Center, Barzilai Medical Center, Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, Assuta Medical Center- Ashdod, Emek Medical Center, Aleh Negev- Afikim, Haifa- All hospitals, Soroka Medical Center, Galilee Medical Center, Ichilov Medical Center, Ziv Medical Center Reuth Medical Rehabilitation Center, Poriya Medical Center, Sheba Medical Center, Yoseftal Medical Center, Schneider Children's Hospital