After a full year in which Handyman program participants learned to paint, saw, pick locks, assemble pipes and much more, and – above all – learned appropriate workplace behavior and strengthen motivation and required skills, a moving graduation ceremony took place last Thursday, marking the end of another successful round of this wonderful program.
The graduation was attended by representatives of the National Insurance Institute (NII) and the Rehabilitation Fund, the program staff, Bayit Cham’s directorship, many government bodies’ Southern District rehabilitation departments, as well as all the program participants and their proud families.
The ceremony opened with greetings from Bayit Cham’s CEO, Rabbi Arie Munk; followed by Ms. Ruti Halperin, director of the rehabilitation department at NII’s Ashdod branch; Ms. Hofit Tabibi, coordinator of the rehabilitation fund; Yael Ariel, Bayit Cham’ s Director of Vocational Rehabilitation; and many more. Later, we were captivated by the presentation of Avreimi Friedman, director of Bayit Cham’s T’chelet Center on the topic of secrecy and stigma in the ultra-Orthodox sector. Of course, there were delectable refreshments and the very exciting part – presenting certificates to program graduates.
A., a program participant, shared his personal story, beginning with the day he was mortally wounded in a terror attack, on to describing the long process of rehabilitation – years! – and then how the Handyman program turned his life around in general and particularly, in the area of employment. As soon as he completed Handyman training, he landed a job and has successfully integrated at work🏆.
These days, program participants continue to be supported on their vocational paths by Bayit Cham’s coaches and some of them, such as A., are already working at mainstream jobs💪
We thank the Handyman staff for the beautiful graduation ceremony and, above all, for their hard, professional and dedicated work throughout the year 🙏 and we wish the graduates much success in their future journeys❤️