Clients and assistants in Israel

People with disabilities travelled to Israel (5 – 11 March, 2011)

In March, a 9-member delegation of Slezská Diakonie travelled to Tel Aviv, Israel. Four users of residential and ambulant services of Slezská Diakonie, four assistants and the project coordinator (staff member of the Department of International Relations of Slezská Diakonie) spent 6 exciting days in the exotic Israel.

The Czech delegation enjoyed a rich programme prepared by the Israeli partner organization, Amuta Chimes Tel Aviv. In addition to a sightseeing tour to Tel Aviv, visit to local flea market and excursion to Jerusalem, the participants took drum lessons, worked in a pottery workshop, baked bread and enjoyed many other joint activities. “It was surprisingly fast to make new friends,” said Ivana Andrýsková, the coordinator of the Czech delegation. “With a single smile, hug or gesture, people with disabilities are able to cross communication barriers which are often an insurmountable obstacle for people without disabilities.“

Different cultural environment also provided the staff of Slezská Diakonie with a precious inspiration and new ideas for working with people with disabilities, as well as a lot of unexpected information on Israel as a whole: “It was really surprising to what extent we could use the Russian language” said Czech assistants of people with disabilities.

The cooperation between Slezská Diakonie and Amuta Chimes Tel Aviv has got a long tradition: the very first contacts were established in 2004. After the successful journey of Czech people to Israel, an Israeli delegation visited the Czech Republic in May 2011.

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