Ayelet Israeli will spend this Rosh Hashanah surrounded by children in Tanzania whose lives she is helping to rebuild and restore with hope.
A volunteer with HalevAfrica, she said the children know that much of their support comes from people they have never met in Israel and around the world.
“They feel your love every day,” Israeli told The Media Line.
HalevAfrica is an NGO working in Tanzania to support orphans and children who have been abandoned or abused. The organization provides access to education, medical care, a safe living environment and personal mentorship.
“Our mission is to give those kids the chance to grow up with dignity, security and the tools to build a better future — even when they have no family to rely on,” Israeli explained.
She noted that the program connects long-term Israeli volunteers with boarding schools so they can live and work alongside local teachers, caregivers and community members. During multi-month placements, volunteers tutor and mentor children, lead extracurricular and psychosocial programs, assist with teacher training and daily care, and support practical needs at the schools.
Having friends in the world is definitely something that we always need — and maybe now more than ever
“That continuity gives the children consistent adult attention and new learning opportunities, while helping staff develop skills and creating meaningful, sustained ties between the communities,” Israeli said.
Israeli is just one of hundreds of educators and social entrepreneurs spending the holidays this year in some of the world’s most marginalized regions — from the slums of Mumbai to remote villages in northern Uganda and orphanages in Tanzania. Many of these organizations operate under the SID Israel (Society for International Development) umbrella.
SID Israel is the professional community for international development and humanitarian aid. It works with 150 companies, organizations, academic programs and independent advisers to support aid and development work in the global South.
“We feel Israel should be there,” SID Israel CEO Ayelet Levin-Karp told The Media Line. “Israel was created to be a source of good, strength and compassion for the world. At the same time, we have lots to gain from giving; I believe the giver gains more than the receiver. And in some cases, these efforts also lead to better economic ties, better diplomatic ties. Having friends in the world is definitely something that we always need — and maybe now more than ever.”
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SID Israel helps volunteers ensure that their good intentions become real, lasting change. The organizations it works with range widely — from Innovation: Africa, which uses solar energy to dig wells in remote villages, to the NALA Foundation, which fights neglected tropical diseases (NTD) through its Israel NTD Initiative. Others bring mobile clinics to Ghana, eye surgeries to underserved regions and education to rural communities.
Levin-Karp acknowledged that missions are especially challenging during the High Holidays, when most people prefer to be with family. But, she said, “the people who take these missions upon themselves are really remarkable, special, extraordinary people … They really put themselves out there in very, very harsh conditions in many ways.”
She herself volunteered in Africa for four years and admitted that “it can be strange” to mark the holidays away from home. “But you know you are there on a mission and doing something bigger.”
She added that being Jewish in the diaspora today is more complicated than ever, as Israelis and Jews are constantly being called to defend themselves and the Jewish state. Yet in many parts of Africa, she said, there is more understanding of Israel’s challenges and even appreciation.
Moreover, Levin-Karp noted, Rosh Hashanah is a holiday that celebrates the creation of the world and all humankind.
We are celebrating our New Year’s when humankind was started, so it’s not our own
“We are celebrating our New Year’s when humankind was started, so it’s not our own,” she said. “Judaism is not about only ourselves and surviving, even though we are right now a country in a survival mode. But I feel like we should always keep one eye on why we are trying to survive as a people and as a country. Our work brings us new meaning in that sense.”
Lior Sperandeo, founder and CEO of SHANITA, expressed similar sentiments.
SHANITA is a nonprofit that provides long-term, holistic support for children in Karamoja, Uganda — one of the poorest regions in the world.
“We give vulnerable children not only access to education, but also daily meals, health care, emotional care and mentorship,” Sperandeo explained. “Without this support, many of them would be forced into child labor or early marriage, losing their chance at childhood.”
Without this support, many of them would be forced into child labor or early marriage, losing their chance at childhood.
Inspired by Israel’s agricultural youth villages, SHANITA today serves 300 children.
“In Karamoja, hunger is the biggest barrier to education,” Sperandeo said. “You can’t learn if your stomach is empty. Farming here isn’t just a romantic idea — it’s survival. By tying agriculture to schooling, we feed the children every single day and, at the same time, teach them skills to fight poverty in their own families and villages.”
The program also emphasizes mentorship, connecting students with adults, teachers, social workers and caretakers “who see them, who believe in them and inspire them.”
Ayelet Israeli volunteers with HalevAfrica. (Courtesy: Ayelet Israeli)
Sperandeo has lived in Uganda for four years and said he has seen older children tutoring younger ones, boys stepping up to protect their sisters and kids sharing what little food they have at home.
“Slowly, they are rewriting what it means to grow up in Karamoja, and those lessons will ripple far beyond our gates,” he said.
That solidarity is a living expression of tikkun olam, proving that even across continents, we can change a child’s future together
This Rosh Hashanah, Sperandeo wanted to send a message of hope from “the harsh soil of Karamoja” back to Israel.
“The journey of the children we serve is only possible because of supporters in Israel and around the world who stand with them,” Sperandeo said. “That solidarity is a living expression of tikkun olam, proving that even across continents, we can change a child’s future together.
“As we enter Rosh Hashanah, I carry a prayer for freedom,” he continued. “Just as we fight for the freedom of children trapped by poverty and despair, we continue to demand the freedom of our hostages who were taken from us. May this new year bring redemption, safety and unity for Jewish people everywhere — and for every child to grow up free.”