For thousands of students and their families, the Shuvu schools network represents a warm and vital extension of their own family. With over 45% of our students from low-income, single-parent homes, Shuvu steps in to help in various practical ways. Our teachers are trained to detect signals of problems at home, and if something seems wrong a school representative will visits the student at home to determine whether help is needed.
Shuvu's uniquely committed teachers strive to know their students not just academically but as complete individuals. They are trained to be good monitors of a student's well-being, and empowered work directly to implement appropriate solutions. All Shuvu teachers make twice yearly visits to the homes of each and every one of their students, to observe the environment in which the child is being raised, their social and living conditions. By involving parents in the education of their children, Shuvu is able to address each child's needs accurately and individually
Many people take the basics for granted, but for some children in Israel healthy, nutritious and hot meals are a longed-for luxury. Many Shuvu students are not guaranteed a satisfying evening meal at home. Knowing this, Shuvu provides daily, hot and nutritious meals to approximately 7,000 children. This constitutes an integral part of ensuring a child's physical welfare and educational success. These meals underwrite our students' ability to concentrate properly and maximize their academic potential in school. Left-over food from the schools is often sent home to families known to be experiencing crisis situations.
Given the socio-economic makeup of its student body, Shuvu teachers are often the first to become aware of their student's problems. All too often, a child arrives at school with broken shoes or wearing slippers, because their parents don't have the money to buy new shoes, and Shuvu's welfare network steps in with quick, effective solutions to remedy this and other underlying problems.
When the home of a six year old Hadera student was burned down, her sister was killed and her father was badly injured. She and her mother were left with nothing. Alerted by the Shuvu Hadera principal, the Shuvu network immediately raised a substantial sum of money to get the family back on their feet, as well as arranging psychiatric support and counseling for our student.
The Shuvu community also helps one another when the country experiences an emergency situation. During the Second Lebanon War when residents in the North of Israel were evacuated, Shuvu cared for entire families - housing and feeding them in the school buildings or arranging home hospitality with 'adopting' families from other Shuvu schools, and supporting them for the duration of the war.
During Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, Shuvu arranged for thousands of its displaced students from nearby cities in the South of Israel to learn in other Shuvu schools and continue a relatively normal routine. For those who stayed home in shelters, special outings were arranged to give them a break from the stress of crowded accommodation and falling bombs, with special Shabbat programs and seminars.
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