Shalva dedicates an apartment for disabled adults, promotes integration
Kalman Samuels, Shalva's founder and president, thanked his "partners" in Gush Etzion and Efrat, adding that, "With the anchor you've provided, we will continue to build."
By SARAH BEN-NUNA poster, made up of the neighbors of the new apartment, welcoming its inauguration and new residents, October 27, 2020. (photo credit: SHALVA)
On Tuesday, October 27, Shalva, an organization committed to helping disabled children and their families, realized their mission in a groundbreaking way: by ceremoniously dedicating an apartment in Efrat as living quarters for adults with disabilities.Shalva is unique in that they craft their services with both the disabled children and their families in mind. For the adults in their programs, they focus on independence: vocational job training and leisure time, both of which are best done from an independent living space.The organization already has a stronghold of a wide range of services offered in Gush Etzion. Yitzchak Fried, the Deputy Head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, said at the ceremony, "We're happy and proud that in our communities... there exists a real integration of individuals with disabilities into us and our day-to-day life. We hope that this integration only grows, in all aspects of our life."Friend, and Efrat's mayor Oded Revivi, were joined by Shalva's founder and president, Kalman Samuels. For Samuels, Shalva was a personal project. His son, Yossi, was born in 1990. When he was injected with a faulty vaccination, he lost his hearing, sight, and became disabled in more ways than one. Samuels and his wife, Malki, started the initiative that later became Shalva, driven by the understanding that families in these circumstances should be able to rely on their communities for assistance and support.Shalva began in an apartment, and grew to become the national organization it is today.Samuels thanked his "partners" in Gush Etzion and Efrat, adding that, "With the anchor you've provided, we will continue to build.""We thank you, and are excited to see this apartment, which, like other initiatives, was designated to catalyze a change in society," he continued. "This apartment is a miracle."
