Israeli org. opens first school for children in a hospital in Odesa

This morning at Odesa Regional Children Hospital, a school was inaugurated for the children hospitalized in Odesa, Ukraine, by the SASA Setton organization, which promotes the field of education for children hospitalized in the hospitals of the State of Israel, in cooperation with the New Era Foundation and the Good Hope Foundation.

The regional children's hospital in Odesa is one of the largest regional hospitals in Ukraine, where an average of 700 children are hospitalized. The new school in the hospital will be used by all the hospitalized children, some of whom were injured during attacks on the city, and will help them reduce academic gaps during their hospitalization and strengthen their personal resilience during the difficult period. 

The ceremony was attended by senior officials from the management of the SASA Setton organization, the management of the hospital, and the management of the Odessa municipality.

During the last months and between the echoes of explosions and alarms in the city, a technologically advanced educational space was built at the regional children's hospital in Odessa. The classroom was equipped with advanced equipment, including computers, tablets, advanced printers, and study kits in Ukrainian that were developed and adapted for students aged 3-18. 

The deputy director of the hospital Irena Kuzmenko, and the psychologist of the hospital Svetlana Melnikova, underwent professional training by the CEO of SASA Stone Eti Avni, and learned ways of working in a classroom with hospitalized children, how to approach them and how to manage the daily routine in a hospital school.

The "SASA Setton" organization provides advanced educational services to approximately 140,000 hospitalized children all over Israel every year. The organization operates a set of professional instructors and national service volunteers for the benefit of enriching and extending the school day in the schools of the 41 hospitals in Israel. 

The organization develops and implements innovative learning environments that incorporate technology adapted to hospitalized children, and specializes in training and enriching the guidance staff and the educational teams in the school with innovative learning tools. It is now passing on all the experience and professional knowledge that the organization has gained during its 13 years of activity, to the benefit of the hospitalized children in Odessa.

Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the "SASA Setton" organization, in cooperation with the "Alumot Or" organization and the Center for Jewish Impact, has delivered emergency aid including a ton of basic consumer goods to the thousands of Ukrainian children who escaped the inferno to Chisinau, Moldova, in accordance with the request of the leaders of the Jewish community in the city. The delivery included: medicines, food for babies and children, hygiene products, games, bags, and more. In addition to the humanitarian aid from the management of SASA Setton and the New Era Foundation, teachers were sent to Krakow, Poland, who help the children of war refugees who fled Ukraine to reduce educational gaps and build emotional resilience.

Working under fire

Sonia Gomes de Mesquita, vice chairman of the SASA Setton board, and representative of the donor family commented, "The SASA Setton organization has been working since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine to help and facilitate the children and their families in every way. Today we mark an important step in which the organization transfers its knowledge and uniqueness to promote the field of education for hospitalized children in schools in hospitals in Israel, and promotes the issue among hospitalized children in Odessa. 

Throughout the process of establishing the educational space, we experienced many bombings, power outages, and sirens, and it was important to us not to give up on this important project. The educational class that was established in the regional hospital in Odessa is the first effort to expand the work of the SASA Setton organization together with the New Era Foundation and the Good Hope Foundation for hospitalized children around the world. We will do everything in our power to help those children who need us the most."