User:SuedlF/sandbox

Ilai Fund
Albert Elay Shaltiel and his wife Yael established the Ilai Fund in Israel in 2005 to assist underprivileged special needs children. The nonsectarian fund helps sick or disabled children whose families are financially unable to meet their needs.

Beneficiaries
Ilai Fund beneficiaries often have severe physical, emotional and intellectual disabilities, such as blindness, deafness, autism or Down syndrome. Ilai’s target population includes victims of polio and other illnesses, cancer patients, and children afflicted by accidents, wars or terrorism.

History
The Ilai Fund is a recognized nonprofit organization that was founded by the Shaltiels, a couple of Iranian background who immigrated to Israel in 2000. Founding and directing this charity, which is named for their son, Ilai Benyamin, was the Shaltiels’ expression of gratitude for the birth of a healthy infant after many childless years of marriage. The fund is staffed entirely by volunteers.

Categories of assistance
The Ilai Fund selects beneficiaries according to referrals from the social services. It provides children with a wide range of medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, bath lifts, orthopedic shoes, splints and braces, diapers, eyeglasses, specialized computers, hospital transportation costs. The fund also supplies [special nutrition], vitamins or medication that healthcare programs may not cover. The fund also arranges for physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and psychotherapy where needed. In addition, Ilai provides one-on-one caregivers and teachers. The Ilai Fund gives the children a chance to experience events that regular children take for granted, such as birthday celebrations, family outings, visits to zoos and parks and other recreational fun days.

Aiding children in residential facilities
The fund provides children in residential facilities with towels, clothing, books, gifts, bed sheets, toys and more. Children up to the age of ten are sent to such facilities by court order in cases where municipalities and social services find it necessary to remove them from harmful surroundings. An abusive or violent home environment or dysfunctional, addicted or alcoholic parents may be placing the child at risk.

Ideology
The Ilai Fund believes that every child, regardless of the severity of the physical or cognitive disability, has the right to benefit from the best available care and develop to his or her full potential.