Ori and Noam are two young boys who shared a lot in common. Both suffered a very difficult childhood, darkened by the poverty of their single parent families.
Both boys faced an uphill struggle in school, academically and socially. Both longed for a change to succeed...
At 13, Ori entered 7th grade in his neighbourhood school. With only a shaky grasp for the basics in math and English, he fell far behind in class. Expensive private tutoring was out of the question. With each failing grade, Ori turned to bullying – and then to delinquency – to bolster his self-esteem.
At 13, Noam began 7th grade at Boys Town Jerusalem. His shaky grasp of the basics in math and English and his emotional anguish were quickly noted by his teachers and the school’s social services team. Noam was given private tutoring, psychotherapy, three nutritious meals a day and a rich extracurricular schedule of sports and music.
At 15, Noam continued to Boys Town’s high school, where he entered the school’s dormitory. Leaving the stress of his home life behind, he began to flourish, excelling in computer studies and mastering complex software engineering skills. The social workers were delighted with Noam’s academic and emotional progress, as they watched him gain confidence and independence.
At 15, Ori began high school. Some of his teachers were sympathetic to his plight and recognized his potential, yet the over-crowded public school was too strained to provide the massive assistance that Ori now required to succeed.
At 18, Ori graduated high school at the bottom of his class. His behavioural problems worsened, as he had his family’s socioeconomic woes to contend with. His delinquency and weak skills now dashed Ori’s dream of joining an elite combat unit in the Israeli army. As for his future plans, Ori could only hope for a miracle to remove him from the cycle of failure in which he was trapped.
At 18, Noam graduated high school with honours. He looked forward to joining an elite communications unit in the Israeli army where he could utilize the skills he had acquired. As for his plans after the army and his university studies, Noam already had his eye on a career in hi-tech or in education, to “give back the wonderful gifts I’ve been given.”
The fate of Ori and Noam – and hundreds of boys like them – lies in your hands. Boys Town Jerusalem depends on YOUR support to enable the school to give the boys the very finest environment in which to study, acquire skills and gain confidence for life. Please consider making your gift today.
Email
Share
RSS
