Israeli youth are volunteering in Africa. Israeli flags. Illustrative. By Joshua Spurlock
Even more African children will get better opportunities in life, as the Jewish Agency’s Project TEN group—nicknamed the “Jewish Peace Corp”—is adding two new volunteer centers in the continent. Similar to the global Peace Corps, Project TEN harnesses the energy of young Jews from Israel and around the world to serve needy persons around the world.
A press release from The Jewish Agency said the new locations in Namulanda, Uganda and Durban, South Africa join the three existing centers—one each in Ghana, Mexico, and Israel. Chairman of the Executive of The Jewish Agency for Israel Natan Sharansky is dedicating the new centers this week. But already volunteers are active in Namulanda and Durban in areas such as education, public health, and sustainable agriculture. The press release noted that most of those activities focus on local children as the Jewish volunteers assist Africa’s next generation.
The press release said that during his trip to Africa, Sharansky is set to speak with local officials, community leaders, representatives from various organizations, and non-Jewish supporters of Israel.
Africa has long been home to Israeli aid and support. More recently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been promoting better relations with Africa. In January, Netanyahu welcomed Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma to Israel and highlighted the opportunities to work with the African country according to an Israeli press release.
Netanyahu was quoted as saying at the time, “You know that Israel is coming back to Africa in a big way, and Africa is coming back to Israel.”
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, February 13, 2017)