How Sunflowers is changing the lives of Israel's orphaned children

“The State of Israel is going through the most difficult time in its history. Every day, we acknowledge the devastation and tragedy. Dozens of orphaned children join the circle of bereavement every day. The environment in which the orphans live is in utter distress and lacks the means to help them cope with their loss. These orphans are in addition to the children who were orphaned before the war and feel a looming threat to the life of their remaining parent, whether they are at home or in the military. There is no doubt that as time goes by, the number of orphans will increase due to the ongoing conflict and the significant psychological distress that many residents of the country are experiencing.” These are the words of Hadar Kess, founder and CEO of Sunflowers. Sunflowers is the only organization in Israel that provides psychological support services for orphans. It was founded by Kess, who lost her father in a car accident at the age of fourteen, in order to assist children who experienced similar loss.

When Hadar began her journey in the NGO world at the young age of 16, the State of Israel wasn’t even aware of the number of orphans living in the country. Hadar recruited Tel-Aviv University, Bar-Ilan University, and the Ministry of Welfare for a two-year research project. The research results revealed a bleak and painful situation. There are approximately 35,000 orphaned children and youth who, due to lack of support, are ten times more likely to be defined as youth at risk. Today, at 23, Hadar runs the only non-profit organization in Israel for orphaned children and youth. Under her leadership, Sunflowers provides weekly support for more than 750 families each week, operating in over 30 centers throughout Israel. That support is provided using a groundbreaking global model developed by the organization together with psychologists, social workers, and professors of education. The model prevents orphans from reaching at-risk situations, while allowing them to develop leadership capabilities with care for them and their families. Additionally, Sunflowers operates an online digital community for thousands of young orphans. 

Kess is involved in raising awareness about orphanhood and its consequences through research, as well as promoting legislation and policy-making together with government ministries for the sole purpose of changing the lives of Israel’s orphaned children. In order to achieve this goal, she has brought together dozens of municipalities, government ministries, and philanthropists from Israel and abroad. Kess says that Sunflowers is considered an official provider for IDF and Mossad orphans due to its unique support and treatment model. 

Eighteen-year-old Lahav Vered, who was orphaned due to a terror attack, says, “Two years ago when I was sixteen, my father was killed during the “Guardian of the Walls Operation. I was defined as an orphan of a terror attack. After a couple of months, I heard about “Sunflowers,” an organization that helps children and youth, such as myself, who have lost one or both of their parents. Thanks to them, I started smiling again and met new friends who understood me best. We work using the mentor-mentee method, while the role of the mentor is to act like a big brother to children who have also experienced the loss of a parent. My mentee is Ori, a seventeen-year-old who lost his mother. He is a smart and sensitive child, and although we’re not that far apart in age, I feel really connected to him, like a big sister.” Vered sums up. “It gives me the feeling that I am strong and can act as an older sister to other young children who lost a parent. Thanks to Sunflowers, I understand that I am strong, have mental strength, and I can see my future. I know that Sunflowers will always be a home that I can return to.”

Together with Kess and the organizational team, a professional group comprised of eight psychologists, social workers, and professors of educational research who focus on complex trauma, loss, and bereavement is building a comprehensive national program for orphans like Vered and her friends. Kess explains: “At this time – one of the most difficult periods the State of Israel has known – we at Sunflowers must contribute from our extensive knowledge and experience in order to help orphans who were orphaned under these terrible circumstances.”

Kess explains that the organization’s national plan was created based on its national responsibility for operating these services and its familiarity and partnership with the relevant government ministries, i.e., education, interior, and welfare. With the hope that proper resources will be allocated to the issue in a timely manner, Sunflowers balances its duty to care for the war orphans as well as those who will become so due to the ongoing war, along with caring for children who have become orphaned due to other circumstances. The organization is proceeding under the assumption that by the end of the war, there will be another wave of orphaned children as a result of diseases, anxiety, PTSD, and suicide. Keeping in mind that orphanhood, in general, is a silent social crisis, one that largely escapes the public’s attention, Sunflowers must serve as a home for those children as well. “For the assistance to be effective,” says Kess, “we must ensure it for at least two years.”

Among the measures proposed by the organization is the opening and operation of centers in disaster-stricken areas (such as Sderot, the Gaza envelope, etc.) that will provide and care for at least 120 families dealing with severe trauma. 

Sunflowers offers a variety of initial emergency aids, such as a kit that includes short videos and instructional resources for educational teams on how to support children who have experienced loss. These educational teams will provide guidance online, as well as manage a community that will accompany teachers on how to assist children who have experienced loss, establishment of a parental guidance community designed to provide continuous and long-term support, provided through an accessible online service that offers ongoing guidance and a support network for widows and widowers in raising their children. The online community will offer parenting guidance in various languages and will continue to provide new resources as needed. It will also serve as a peer support group for orphaned children and adolescents. 

Additionally, a multilingual rights portal for all orphans will be established that will be continually updated to provide comprehensive information. Sunflowers will also produce explanatory videos for the public on how to provide assistance to orphans. These videos will teach people how to speak with a child who has lost a parent and how extended family can give support following such a loss. These “first aid” response videos will be widely and easily distributed and can prevent misconceptions and initial trauma.

After the war ends, Kess will present a precedent-setting bill designed to compare rights of orphans. Orphans in Israel are divided into different categories, such as IDF orphans, Mossad orphans, firefighters’ orphans, and more. Each category has various conditions and entitlements. For example, IDF orphans receive twice the resources given to police orphans. Sunflowers will advocate for the equalization of conditions between these groups so that all orphans can receive adequate support from the State of Israel

In conclusion, she adds, “Unfortunately, we cannot bring back the many good parents who are no longer alive, who have left behind orphaned children, who lost their lives during battle, before, or after. Today, we unite for the sole purpose of national resilience, but we should not forget the orphans. We can turn around the story of trauma and risk into a story of success and hope. Join us.”