The Aid Fund
In May 2020, the "Aid Fund for Asylum Seekers during COVID-19" was launched with the initiative of JDC Israel, government ministries and a philanthropic organization, and was led by CIMI. Thanks to the Aid Fund, more than 10,000 households, including more than 8,000 children, received humanitarian aid, which was essential for the survival of asylum seekers during the COVID-19 crisis, due to the high unemployment rate and the lack of unemployment benefits. The economic support was particularly significant within vulnerable groups, such as women and children. The total amount of aid given exceeded NIS 20 million and the distribution was on a national level:: Tel Aviv, Eilat, Be'er Sheva, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Jerusalem, Lod, Bnei Brak, Petah Tikvah, Yavne, Rehovot, Rishon LeTsiyon, Herzliya, Ra’anana, Kiryat Malakhi, Netanya, Haifa and Kafr Manda.
CIMI led the Aid Fund and managed the entire operation to distribute the assistance to the asylum seekers. This included managing a newly designed, computerized system set up for the project, loading the cards with money so they could be used in the supermarkets, distributing aid in the field and managing the coordination between the organizations participating in the distribution effort.
Managing and executing this project has strengthenedCIMI’s connections in the field of asylum seekers in several aspects:
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cooperation with representatives of local authorities
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assistance in building capabilities to make services accessible
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strengthening ties with representatives of the asylum seeker community throughout the country
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a unique database that enabled the collection of administrative data which enabled us to conduct surveys, which help in understanding the needs and necessary solutions..