Yeladenu

Yeladenu (Hebrew: חוסן ילדינו, "Our Children's Resilience") is an Israeli national multi-sector initiative that was launched on 8 October 2023, immediately after the 7 October attacks, to support the emotional, psychological, and educational needs of children and youth living in Israel's border conflict zones. The initiative operates as a collaborative framework bringing together government ministries, local authorities, education and social service departments, pre-military academies, educational organizations, and business and philanthropic partners. It is led by Roni Duak and the organizations he heads — Shitufim and Zionism 2000 — and has mobilized numerous partners, philanthropists, and organizations from Israel and abroad. The initiative's work has been organized in two main phases. The first phase focused on strengthening the resilience of children and youth from the city of Sderot and the Eshkol Regional Council in evacuation centers in Eilat and at the Dead Sea. The second phase continued resilience-building activities as residents returned to their home communities, and also supported children and youth from the Mishor HaGefen neighborhood in Ofakim and from the city of Kiryat Shmona in evacuation centers in Tiberias. The initiative has provided a comprehensive therapeutic, educational, and social response to thousands of children and youth. According to the official website, as of the time of writing the initiative has carried out over 5,400 resilience-supporting activities, provided approximately 37,500 individual and group treatments, held over 85,500 meetings with children and youth, established 3 calm rooms, 4 therapeutic gardens, and 4 schools operating in resilience complexes, and engaged 103 professionals in operations and 186 resilience professionals. It has also involved 110 pre-military academy cadets in supporting resilience activities. The initiative continues to work on building long-term systemic infrastructure, including resilience centers in schools in the Eshkol Regional Council, Sderot, and other communities, in partnership with local authorities. Yeladenu positions itself as a national, cross-sector effort to ensure the physical and mental health and the private and communal future of children in conflict-affected areas. Its model emphasizes rapid, systemic, and effective action through coordination with local and state authorities, community leadership, civil society organizations, and the business sector.

Yeladenu was launched on 8 October 2023, one day after the 7 October attacks, as a national multi-sector initiative to strengthen the resilience of children and youth in Israel's border conflict zones. It was led by Roni Duak and the organizations he heads — Shitufim and Zionism 2000 — and quickly mobilized partners, philanthropists, and organizations from Israel and abroad to act rapidly, systemically, and effectively. The initiative's first phase focused on children and youth from Sderot and the Eshkol Regional Council who had been evacuated to Eilat and the Dead Sea. Temporary resilience complexes were established there to provide therapeutic, educational, and social responses. Later, children and youth from northern communities also joined the activities. The second phase began as residents returned to their permanent communities, with the initiative continuing to support resilience through educational and social group activities, and expanding to support children and youth from the Mishor HaGefen neighborhood in Ofakim and from Kiryat Shmona in evacuation centers in Tiberias. Throughout the operation, Yeladenu reports having held over 85,500 meetings with children and youth, conducted approximately 37,500 emotional treatments through the resilience centers of the communities in facilities built for them, and carried out about 5,400 resilience-strengthening activities. It also established 3 calm rooms, 4 therapeutic gardens, and 4 schools operating in resilience complexes, and engaged 103 operations professionals and 186 resilience professionals, as well as 110 pre-military academy cadets. The initiative has also begun forming systemic infrastructure programs and continues a strategic partnership with Sderot and the Eshkol Regional Council for a long-term joint effort. It aims to promote resilience at the systemic level within a joint framework to strengthen children and youth in local authorities.

• Yeladenu initiative launched

• First phase: resilience complexes established in Eilat and Dead Sea for evacuees from Sderot and Eshkol

• Second phase: continued activities as residents returned to permanent communities; support extended to Ofakim and Kiryat Shmona evacuees

National multi-sector initiative for children's resilience in conflict zones

1. 1בית | חוסן ילדינוyeladenu.org.il
2. 2אודות | חוסן ילדינוyeladenu.org.il
3. 3Yeladenu - Wikidatawikidata.org