Ending Human Trafficking Israel Project #50949

Vocational Training - Women Escaping Prostitution

by Her Academy

Vocational Training - Women Escaping Prostitution

Project Report | Apr 6, 2022
Spring 2022 Report

By Meira Weinstein | Partnerships Coordinator

Six years to Her Academy

Her Academy is pleased to share our Spring 2022 updates with you -

We began the New Year with 85 students and 15 course offerings in our first semester alone! Course offerings included English, Hebrew and Arabic language courses, pilates instruction, floral arrangement, computer basics, office management, public speaking and more. We are proud of every one of our students who took part in the coursework and worked so hard to successfully complete their studies.

On February 6, 2022, we marked 6 years to Her Academy's creation. Six years ago to that date, Her Academy became a legally recognized NGO in Israel and began working towards empowering women escaping prostitution and violence in Israel to gain skills in an affirmative step to enter the Israeli workforce and society. Since that day, thanks to many partners and supporters, we have accomplished so much, and look forward to continued growth together.

Our co-founders and co-directors, Iris Stern Levi and Tal Hamaoui, were chosen as Israel's "Women of the Year" by the popular television program, Paula and Lion, which airs on Israel's channel 12. Iris and Tal spoke about Her Academy, our activities and programming, our students and their sucesses, in an effort to raise awareness to the plight of women who are eager to leave the world of prostitution and to the right of every person to achieve personal and economic security. In that same vein, in honor of International Women's Day, which took place on March 8th, Her Academy launched a campaign demanding that the day be used to address the original goals of the day - advocating for women's rights - instead of turning it into a consumer holiday marked by sales of creams and perfumes. (Article in Hebrew can be found here.)

This year, we plan to reach over 200 students, helping each and every one of them to harness the skills and tools they need to integrate back into society and build a new life for herself. We thank you for your support of Her Academy and look forward to sharing more updates with you.

Please visit our site to learn more, www.heracademy.org.il

Women of the Year

Women's Day Campaign

Permalink

Dec 9, 2021
December 2021 Report

By Meira Weinstein | Partnerships Coordinator

Over the course of 2021, Her Academy successfully completed 44 courses for 113 students! For the coming year, we are planning to reach over 200 students - 200 women who have successfully exited prostitution, or are in the process of doing so, and are beginning a new chapter in their lives, one of survival, hope, optimism and independence.

Among our accomplishments of the past year -

1. Her Academy was recognized by Israel's Ministry of Welfare as the sole provider of vocational courses and job placement services for women escaping prostitution and is receiving funding from the ministry for our work.

2. We've partnered with the legal clinic of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to offer pro bono legal support to our students in need of help with debt bondage, employee rights, opening bank accounts, sign rental contracts and grant pardons and clear criminal records of students who were convicted of crimes related to prostitution. In December of 2020, Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin, together with Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn, announced a special program to expunge the criminal records of convicted prostitutes, saying, “life in prostitution means daily, unbearable exposure to violence, poverty, addiction and exploitation…. This is life on the brink of death. It is our duty, as a country, as a society, to help rehabilitate sex workers.” This program allows these women to have their criminal records erased and to start a new life. The clinic is currently working with a number of our students on this important mission, as part of the rehabilitative process and their reintegration into mainstream society.

3. We've experienced tremendous growth and have grown from a professional staff of three to a staff of nine dedicated staff members who work tirelessly to support our students.

4. We continue to support our students in securing and maintaining safe and stable housing, one of the main challenges facing our students. Thanks to generous support, we continue to provide rent subsidies to our students in greatest need, as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support of Her Academy's work and for enabling our students to realize their potential and integrate into the Israeli workforce and society.

Links:

http://www.HerAcademy.org.il

Permalink

Aug 10, 2021
Summer 2021 Report

By Meira Weinstein | Partnerships Coordinator

Over the course of the year, Her Academy has successfully carried out our mission to help women in Israel leave prostitution and secure stable employment, fuel economic empowerment and inspire a significant impact in the self-worth of our students. We are proud to share that 125 of our students are currently placed in stable jobs during this exceptionally challenging time. Each of these women represent a monumental achievement.

Since the start of the year, we have run 23 courses for 77 students, in a wide range of topics and disciplines, including, Beginner’s Hebrew, Beginner’s English, Advanced English, Office Management, Communications and Public Speaking, Photography, Pilates Instruction, Hostel Counselor Training, Basic Computer Skills, Employee Rights, Early Childhood Care, and more. The Hostel Counselor course is particularly meaningful, and was requested by a number of our students, as it provides specific tools and skills to allow them to give back and serve as counselors and mentors in hostels and rehabilitation facilities for youth and women at risk. We’ve also added an on-site social worker as of May 2021, to help our students process various issues and to help them focus on the rehabilitation process and not just survival.

As Israel is still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic and the unprecedented levels of unemployment, we are doing everything in our power to help our students find stable employment. This year to date, nine of our students have found employment outside of sex work, while an additional 22 students are taking part in Employment Workshops, where our students raise and process issues and challenges they face in their place of employment and we discuss various issues regarding workplace conduct, culture, norms, etc. In addition, a number of our students received promotions or moved to positions with greater benefits.

One of our main focuses for 2021, is helping our students overcome personal debts and find safe and stable housing. We have found that these two issues are of critical importance in allowing our students to focus and invest energy in their rehabilitation. Working together with the Hebrew University’s law clinic and thanks to the generosity of the Schusterman Foundation, we are working to help our students overcome debt servitude that is easily magnified, to banks, institutions and pimps, and begin the path to financial independence. In addition, we have partnered with Abraham Hostels who provide short term, low-cost housing to our students in the beginning of their journeys to rehabilitation.

We are also proud to note that in March of 2021, Her Academy’s Co-Founder and Co-Director, Iris Stern-Levi, was awarded with the Rappaport Prize as the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Laureate for Women Generating Change in Israeli Society.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support.

Please consider making a donation to help us continue to help our student body, https://www.heracademy.org.il/en/donations/

Best wishes for an enjoyable rest of the summer,

Permalink

‹ 1 2 3 4

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.