We are the Foundation for Social Involvement, the organization that developed and operates the Unitaf project. Our goal is to provide quality, supervised education and a safe childhood for invisible young children, regardless of their civil or social status.
Unitaf is a holistic and unique educational initiative that we have been developing and supporting over the past 20 years. Through this initiative, we have established dozens of quality, supervised educational programs for undocumented children in early childhood:
hours of pedagogical support per classroom per year.
educators are learning and growing professionally.
children, aged birth to six, receive warm and loving care.
educational programs in Tel Aviv, Rehovot, and Eilat.
Unitaf educational programs are owned by women from the refugee and undocumented community, who work in close cooperation with us and are consistently supported by our professional educational and therapeutic staff. These programs operate in collaboration with local municipalities, the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Economy, and private donors. All meet the standards set by the Ministry of Education and the regulations of the Supervision Law.
Our organization was founded in 2004, following an initiative by the Tel Aviv Municipality, to address the dangerous phenomenon of “children’s warehouses” that had developed in the city.
Over the past decades, migrant workers and refugees arriving in Israel have faced survival challenges, working long hours daily. To enable this, their communities created informal childcare settings, referred to as “children’s warehouses.” These settings, operating without supervision, are unsafe and neglectful: dilapidated apartments, overcrowding, poor nutrition, and insufficient human contact or therapeutic care. Children often spend long hours there daily without adequate stimulation or proper care, leading to developmental delays, long-term harm, and, in extreme cases, even death.
Today, over 10,000 undocumented children live in Israel. Only about 20% remain in children’s warehouses, a significant improvement achieved through extensive and collaborative work with the community, state institutions, local authorities, social organizations, and donors. However, there is still much to do to eradicate this phenomenon and ensure these invisible children receive the equal opportunity for quality education they deserve.
Join us in creating a safe, healthy, and happy childhood for them.
We strive to expand our efforts and support more marginalized children across the country
