Dear partners, At the end of this month, on May 29 our joint steering committee met via videoconference to discuss our programs for next year.

As many of you might know, I'm personally involved in the Women For Women program and especially in the subject of rape and sexual assault. 

I want to tell you about the progress in this project.

After many troubles we now have a wonderful coordinator for this program, a young woman named Hila who is working with her soul as well as her head and is very devoted, and we are about to start the first workshop for women from our region for developing leadership and empowerment.

I also want to tell you a story of a young girl, 17 years old, who celebrated her birthday with friends drinking too much alcohol as unfortunately the youngsters tend to do today.

After the party she stopped a car that passed by trying to get a ride to her boyfriend's house, but after a few minutes going from downtown Afula to Givat Hamoreh (upper part of Afula) she noticed that the man turned the car toward the fields.

He eventually stopped the car and started to rape her.

She succeeded at some moment, only too late, to escape from the car, ran through the fields and knocked on a door of a house of decent people who were ready to help her at 2.00 in the morning.

They called the police who brought her to the Pediatric Emergency Room.

She was very drunk, upset, dizzy, crying but wouldn't confide in the staff, including the social worker. 

She was treated by the medical staff as needed and then the police took her away to her boyfriend's home. 

The next day I called her home, asked her how she was feeling and offered her the help of the Rape Crisis Center in Afula.

She told me that the Gynecologist who treated her gave her the phone number of the center.

I was very glad to hear that the fact that this center exists is well known now and that my dream of having such a center became a reality known to people in our area.

The girl assured me that she will call and get help and will not stay alone with the terrible secret.

This center is operating thanks to you... With much love Judith