Engaging the younger generation

As a not-for-profit that provides support for children (and their families), the Malki Foundation has a natural attraction to school-age youngsters wanting to help others less fortunate than themselves.

Until recently, there was a limited amount of scope for young people to get involved in our programs. In large part, this is because at the Malki Foundation we firmly believe in respecting the privacy of the families we support and avoiding any intrusion into their lives and the things they do, and decide, for the benefit of their child with special needs.

Two new projects we recently started enable school-age young adults to show their support for the Malki Foundation's work in their own distinctive way.

One is Malki Foundation-branded silicone wrist-bands. First popularized by Lance Armstrong's Livestrong foundation that supports people affected by cancer, these are colorful branded bracelets worn by young people all over the world that have emerged as both an appealing fashion accessory and a way to show support for a favorite cause.

Brightly-colored Malki Foundation bands can now be seen on the wrists of teenagers around the world - from Jerusalem to Melbourne, Australia. Their rapid take-off is thanks to the efforts of a dedicated group of young volunteers who have been marketing them for a small price in their own high schools and social circles.

One of the official Malki Foundation
Recycling for Charity receptacles
in a Jerusalem school

Creating an identification with the Malki Foundation's work along with an understanding of what we are doing is what is really important.

The second has to do with the environment. At the Pelech junior high school for girls in Jerusalem, a group of students have embarked on a pilot project called (loosely translated) ‘Recycling for Charity’. Recycling bins have been set up around the school for the girls to deposit anything from empty bottles and candy wrappers to old phones and laptops. All the collected items are eventually sent to a recycling center in Jerusalem with which the Malki Foundation has formed an agreement.

The recycle value gets paid back as a donation that helps to fund our work. The environment is improved. Money is made, and people feel good. Everyone wins.

Debbie Fishman and Tal Baron from Malki Foundation's Jerusalem office spoke to a students' assembly at Pelech last week about Malki z”l, the important work of the foundation and how they too can make a difference to a child’s life by taking a task as simple and fun as recycling. The result was that the girls were very excited to participate.

We are very proud of these two new projects and look forward to expanding them into many more schools over the next school year. Please contact us if you would like to involve your school.

Debbie Fishman
Executive Director - Malki Foundation, Jerusalem