Today, Israel is home to more than 150,000 Ethiopians, with more than half living below the poverty line. In that number are many teenagers who were born in Ethiopia and made aliyah as infants and young children. For most, there is no understanding or recollection of their country of origin.

Dr. Stu Chesner, a noted psychologist who has lived in Israel for many years, understands the unique needs of young people, many of them Ethiopian, who struggle to fit in and began Magen, a new Good People Fund grantee, to provide a holistic approach to academic, emotional and social intelligence.

The Ethiopian kids in this picture arrived in Ethiopia today in search of their roots and to better understand their heritage. It was our honor to underwrite the trip for three of these young people. We can only imagine the insights they will gain from this journey “home” and how those insights will help them mature and become productive adults.

It’s been more than a year since Hurricane Maria devastated the island of Puerto Rico. In the interim, how many other hurricanes have created crisis and despair in their aftermath? Sadly, this is becoming an all too-familiar scenario.

But–in Puerto Rico, circumstances were even graver, with the loss of the entire power grid leaving millions with neither electricity nor safe housing. Erika Velez and her all-volunteer Puerto Rico Lit organization are still working in remote areas, and recently completed construction of ten new wooden homes in Toa Alta. Just yesterday, this new refrigerator, one of four The Good People Fund underwrote, was delivered to a family with young kids and a seriously ill family member. Imagine what life is  like with a working refrigerator!

A call today from a trusted source served as a reminder of the special significance of the month of Elul, traditionally a time of reflection as we approach the Jewish New Year.

The story involves a young adolescent girl raised in a rigidly observant, religious environment devoid of love and compassion. To escape this personal hell, she entered another form of hell and turned to the streets working in prostitution for several years.

Eventually she became known to an Israeli organization working to end prostitution and in time began to volunteer with them, ultimately leaving the streets to start a new life helping other girls in similar situations.

Through her essays and personal interviews she is deemed a serious and capable student. Inspired by her volunteer work, she will return to school next month to study social work.

Through the generosity of our donors we will be able to help her with this worthy pursuit and, as the new year begins, seek to save one more life from the predations of exploitation and suffering.

Hi Naomi,

Your two kids are in the final of this amazing award WeWork creator awards Jerusalem. From thousands of ngos we made it to the final three. Met here this morning for production walk-through.