Edmond J. Safra Foundation

National Parkinson Foundation launches the Aware in Care campaign

admin — 2012-02-22T16:37:53Z

The National Parkinson Foundation launches the Aware in Care campaign, with the support of the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation. (External link) - Press Room / Press File

Children's Health in Israel

admin — 2011-07-01T11:39:39Z

Completed in 2002, and now known as the best such facility in Israel, the Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital at the Chaim Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer welcomes patients from across the country, the Palestinian Authority, and the Mediterranean and Near East regions.

The Hospital receives 8,000 inpatient admissions and 60,000 visits to its emergency room and ambulatory services every year, while also providing emergency services at secondary centers across Israel. As part of its “compassionate care” philosophy, the Hospital has been declared a “pain free” center: every potentially painful procedure is performed with the aid of the Pediatric Anesthesiology Service.

The Hospital is a national leader in pediatric innovation: its services include a state-of-the-art intensive care unit with an intermediate step-down unit for babies requiring special or intensive care; an inpatient hematological unit that performs bone marrow transplants and intensive chemotherapy; an outpatient clinical service and day-center for oncology patients; and a pediatric hospice. The Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital is also home to a pediatric surgical department that serves all of the pediatric subspecialties including neurosurgery, cardiac surgery, orthopedics, and urology. The Edmond J. Safra International Congenital Heart Center is composed of an intensive care unit, a pediatric cardiology unit, a pediatric catheterization suite, and a pediatric surgery suite, as well as operating theatres that allow for a complete hands-free environment, representing a significant technological advance for pediatric cardiac surgery.

The Hospital has witnessed many “firsts”, including a child development center that was the first of its kind in Israel, and a day-center that serves autistic children. Its multidisciplinary Department of Pediatric Intensive Care remains the largest in the country, and its rehabilitation and pediatric psychiatry departments, each with inpatient and day facilities, are nationally recognized.

The Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital's strength also lies within its specialist medical teams. Its staff, many of whom have been trained at some of the best pediatric institutions around the world, take a collaborative approach in attending to each child's individual needs. All of the Hospital's departments are affiliated with Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine, and its physicians are actively involved in both teaching and research.

Healing at The Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital takes place not only through traditional medicine but also through the creative and comforting environment of its physical space. The Garden of the Senses encourages children's imaginations with abstract sculptures and hidden corners to explore. The view of the garden from the upper floors of the hospital was an important aspect of its design, ensuring that children who are not able to go out can still benefit from the stimulation of the shapes and colors below. In keeping with this theme, the Hospital's Pediatric Anesthesia Center is decorated with life-size and colorful models of frogs, and its “Laughing Room”, a fully-enclosed fantasy center complete with state-of-the-art multimedia special effects, never fails to bring a smile to every face.

Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village

admin — 2011-06-28T09:55:39Z

The 1994 Rwandan genocide resulted in the deaths of an estimated 800,000 men, women, and children. Close to 1.2 million Rwandan children (15% of the country's total population) were orphaned, and they have had neither the time nor the resources to come to terms with their trauma (especially those who were forced to become surrogate parents to their younger siblings).

The Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) is a full-time residential high school whose fundamental goal is to allow the process of healing to take place. Through the establishment of a long-term, nurturing, and family-like environment, the Agahozo [dry their tears] Shalom [peace] Youth Village aims to create a brighter future for orphaned children and a new generation of leaders ready to take Rwanda forward.

The village is located on a 58-hectare piece of land in the Rawamagana district, and it will ultimately function as a home and educational facility for over 500 orphans. The first phase of the project, which was completed in December 2008, includes 32 dormitories (each housing 16 children and a house-mother), the school, a health clinic, library, chapel, the Edmond J. Safra Community Center (which includes the dining hall), and athletic fields.

A “curriculum for life”

ASYV village life will draw upon the experiences of the Yemin Orde Youth Village in Israel, which was established in 1953 to help orphans of the Holocaust and subsequent waves of Ethiopian immigrant children undergo a process of healing and social reintegration. Yemin Orde's “rhythm of life” principle, a concept that restores a normal routine to a child including communal meals, daily school attendance, and a sense of belonging, has been adopted by ASYV in order to afford these Rwandan children the opportunity to grow into fully-functioning adults.

A comprehensive academic curriculum was developed to include traditional secondary school and vocational subjects approved by the Rwandan Ministry of Education. ASYV has also implemented extra-curricular activities that draw on the cognitive enrichment programs of the world-renowned International Center for the Enhancement of Learning Potential (ICELP), based in Jerusalem. Reflecting the importance placed on complementary environments to classroom life, ASYV and ICELP have tailored individualized informal education plans.

The bond of common experience

As part of its efforts to build the safe and comfortable haven that its residents deserve, a team of Ethiopian-Israeli volunteers from Yemin Orde worked closely with ASYV on its development and on training its leadership. Having immigrated to Israel as orphans, these volunteers can readily relate to the obstacles that many future-residents face and act both as mentors for ASYV staff and role models for its children. After an initial visit to Yemin Orde by the ASYV “Rwanda Pioneer Group” (a committee of local experts in fields related to orphans and genocide survivors), two delegations of Ethiopian-Israelis traveled to Rwanda in July and August 2007 to study the historical and contemporary realities faced by Rwandan children today. Twelve of the volunteers are currently on the ground assisting with the initial operation of the village.

A Rwandan team of builders and architects worked with both foreign architectural experts and Yemin Orde to create a physical setting that is de-institutionalized and reflective of home-life. As a result, considerations such as maintaining a physical separation between home and school are being carefully implemented to create an environment where children travel to and from school just as they would in any home.

The philosophy of the village is centered on establishing the ASYV and its children as strong symbols of hope and confidence for the future of Rwanda. The project has engendered significant local support consisting of financial donations from the Rwandan business community as well as state support from the Ministries of Education and Youth, Sport, and Culture. The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, has met with project leaders on multiple occasions and strongly endorses the village.

Latest news

The first class of children – 125 survivors of the genocide – moved in to their new homes on 15 December 2008. The school now includes science and computer laboratories equipped with the latest technological infrastructure, and plans are underway to build a completely organic farm, which will, in addition to eventually providing for the Village's complete nutritional needs, equip its students with the agricultural skills needed to be as self-sufficient as possible.

All but ten of ASYV's staff members are native Rwandans. Eight of the non-Rwandans are long-term volunteers from Israel and the United States, and each of them brings a unique set of skills to the Village environment: art and music therapists, an agricultural specialist, and others.

A second class of 125 children is scheduled to join the village in December 2009.

Edmond J. Safra Visiting Nurse Faculty Program

admin — 2011-02-14T08:33:04Z

- Links

Edmond J. Safra Family Lodge marks fifth anniversary

admin — 2010-10-20T18:48:36Z

Edmond J. Safra Family Lodge marks fifth anniversary. (External link)

- Press Room

LS 10 charities draft 1

admin — 2010-10-20T18:46:20Z

Mrs. Lily Safra, Chairwoman of the Edmond J. Safra Foundation, announced her intention to donate to ten charities around the world. - Press Room

Press kit 1

admin — 2010-10-20T18:45:30Z

Download the Edmond J. Safra Foundation Press Kit 2009

- Press Room

Harvard University Receives $12.3 Million from Lily Safra

admin — 2010-10-19T11:10:00Z

Harvard University Receives $12.3 Million from Lily Safra to Support Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics. - Press Room / Press File

Mémorial de la Shoah

admin — 2010-10-04T16:56:21Z

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Unprecedented donation made by Mrs. Lily Safra to the Brain and Spinal Cord Research Institute in Paris.

admin — 2010-07-23T13:13:00Z

Unprecedented donation made by Mrs. Lily Safra to the Brain and Spinal Cord Research Institute in Paris. - Press Room / Press File