One of the most exciting and vital organizations in Israel, Tenufa Bakehila is the only organization in the country that renovates hundreds of dilapidated and neglected apartments every year - free of charge!
Gabi Nachmani, the energetic founder and director of Tenufa, is a man of social action. When he tells stories about the families he has helped, he cannot hide the distress in his voice as he identifies with each and every family.
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Gabi grew up in a single-parent family in Jerusalem. "My father died when I was 8. We lived in an old stone house with crumbling walls and cracked ceilings. The house was freezing in the winter. Until the age of 9 we had no hot, running water in the house. We bathed in the winter with a bucket and a cup. Whenever something broke in our home, there was no one to fix it."
“Recently, we assisted a family that reminded me of my childhood," Gabi said passionately. "A grandmother, a mother and a 10-year-old child lived in the house. The bathroom was a complete disaster. The flooring was unsealed and there was no running water in the shower. When we asked how they are able to shower, they pointed in the direction of the toilet. They showered with cold water using a thin hose that they pulled out from the water tank of the toilet at knee height into the bath.
Can you imagine? Until our renovation, a 10 year old boy, had never showered in a normal shower in his life! Can you imagine his grandmother showering with the same knee height hose?”
“We immediately jumped into action with our professional work foremen", Gabi explained. "With a generous donation of materials from our partners at Tuboul Group, one of the leading importers and distributors of building materials in Israel, we completed a renovation worth NIS 40,000, at absolutely no cost to the family."
We replaced the bathtub with a full shower and replaced all the bathroom faucets and cabinets. We even widened the front door to make it wheel chair accessible should the need arise for the grandmother, who suffers from diabetes. "
When the 10-year-old boy peeked into their renovated bathroom for the first time, he shouted with extreme excitement, "Look Grandma! The water is flowing in the shower. I can finally take a shower here!" Emotions ran high and no staff member from Tenufa could hold back their tears. For Gabi and his workmen this was the most satisfying feedback they could receive. The grandmother hugged Tenufa's social worker, and thanked her over and over, with a shaking voice.
Working with private, specially trained social workers, Tenufa Bakehila understands that rebuilding lives is a process. Each family must be supported and guided by a professional social worker in order to help the family overcome the personal challenges which led to their housing crisis.
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Leading hundreds of families on a path to a better future, Tenufa's professional staff are renovating hundreds of homes every year. Tenufa also employs former soldiers who were once youth at risk, teaching them the skills they need to pursue professional work in the field of renovations.
Who can receive urgent home repairs from Tenufa? Needy families are recommended by Municiapal social workers.
In what cities does Tenufa operate? Currently, Tenufa Bakehila is active in 14 cities across the country, with an eye on even more cities.
How many families has Tenufa assisted to date? Tenufa Bakehila has assisted over 5,500 families in need, including single mothers, the elderly, Holocaust survivors, victims of terror, new immigrants and families with special needs.
“We enter homes with dangerous electricity and faulty plumbing” Gabi explains. “We fix broken floors for the elderly to prevent them from falling. We help mothers who can barely cook for their children because their kitchens are rotting, and children who can't invite friends to their home out of shame. We renovate bathrooms with clogged plumbing. We repair all the moving parts in a home that provide a family with dignity. We're talking about the basic necessities that most of us take for granted. "
Every renovation for needy families is enabled by private donations, by individuals and foundations. Please partner with Tenufa in this life building venture!
A Rosh Ha’shana Campaign is underway.
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For more information contact our office:
Tenufa Office: 02-6793491
Email: tenufaoffice@gmail.com
Website: www.tenufa.org