Eyal Edry, Moshe Edree, and Rafi Edry Hold Hands of Helpless Israeli Students During the Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has taken the world by storm. But the most adverse impact was seen on countries with high poverty and inequality, Israel being one of them. The number of households close to the poverty line rose by around a quarter since the advent of the virus. But the kids were the biggest sufferers. According to the reports, of 2.5 million Israelis living in poverty, around 1.1 million were kids, most of whom lived in Israel’s periphery.

But that’s not all that the kids had to go through. Lack of access to education was even more devastating. Due to the pandemic, almost all the industries had to undergo a major shift towards digitalization, and education was no exception.

The Israeli government started promoting online learning initiatives so that students can continue learning without imperiling their safety. While this was beneficial for the students living in the socio-economic center of Israel, millions of students living in the periphery were being ignored. 

Eyal Edry, Moshe Edree, and Rafi Edry (aka Refael Edry), founders of the Ahinoam Association, came to the rescue. They helped these students access education and enabled them to connect with their peers.

The Inspiration Behind

The inspiration behind the initiative to help the students was the hardships the three brothers faced. Eyal Edry was a brilliant mind but had to leave school and take up a job to support his family financially. He was then able to become a paratrooper in the IDF. However, this was short-lived as a near-fatal incident made him a 100% disabled veteran.

But that didn’t stop him from pursuing higher studies. He eventually got a degree in psychology and became a successful business owner. During this journey, he realized the importance of having a support system in place. He wanted to help children and teenagers who are at the point where he once stood in his life.

Hence, he, and his brothers Moshe Edree and Refael Edry founded Ahinoam Association, named after his father. It aims to promote equalities across Israel. Since 2018, the Association has been helping the youth from the lower socio-economic regions of Israel, and then came the pandemic.

All the hardship etched back in the memory and how education helped them come out of the situation inspired the Edry brothers to help Israeli students who lost access to an education system owing to the pandemic.

The Initiative

Eyal Edry noticed that one of the most significant challenges facing the students during the pandemic was the lack of access to computers, smartphones, and even internet connections. Over 30% of children in Israel’s periphery didn’t have access to an internet connection. On the other hand, around 200,000 children didn’t have desktops to participate in e-learning.

He thought that this was not right as everyone has the right to education. Eyal also reached out to the Ministry of Education and asked for funds to buy and distribute computers. However, the proposal was not accepted. Hence, he, along with Refael Edry, Moshe Edree, and other leaders of the Ahinoam Association, initiated a fundraising campaign to help the students in need.

Through a joint operation with Amal Education Network, the Association started collecting and distributing old computers. The awareness about the initiative and the donations grew, making the program a huge success.

The Results

The Association collected and gave over 30,000 computers to the students soon after the program’s launch and over 400,000 over the next few months. However, the task does not end here. Eyal, Moshe, and Refael Edry continue to collect more old computers through the program and distribute it among those in need to connect them with the E-learning transformation.

The program indirectly helped shape the future of the country. Lack of access to education could have led to a knowledge and skills gap in the country. Thus, by providing the students with access to computers, the Ahinoam Association ensured that the children could get the right education to help them with their careers and, ultimately, Israel’s economy.

Besides education, the Association also helped ensure the mental well-being of the country’s youth by allowing them to connect with their peers. Not being able to communicate with peers can inculcate a sense of loneliness among children. It can impact the development of interpersonal skills and lead to mental distress.

Eyal Edry’s Future Vision

Eyal Edree believes that the government can collect taxes but cannot manage them. According to him, social resources such as computers or any such things for basic rights do not reach the destination when they fall into the hands of a bureaucratic system. Hence, he wishes that the government should hand over powers to Non-Profit Organizations (NGOs) willing to serve the people and oversee them.