Social Services The Jerusalem Fund supports the work of Palestinian social service organizations that respond to the urgent needs of the present and are working to develop the skills and services needed for the future. Projects that have recently received grants include sign-language training courses for the hearing impaired, specialized equipment for the visually impaired, support programs to develop community awareness, assistance for the aged, and counseling for abused women and children. Since the beginning of the current intifada, The Jerusalem Fund has strengthened its efforts to support emergency medical relief and assistance. Featured Project Atta Services Aid to the Aged Brings Hope to Palestine's Senior Citizens Atta Services seeks to address issues affecting the elderly, including their mental and physical health as well as social well-being. Atta Services' Meals on Wheels Program, for example, provides hot meals to the aged in the Ramallah area two times a week. This program is an integral part of Atta's outreach program, which also facilitates doctor visits, house cleaning, and visits by Atta Services' staff Founder Nora Kort initiated a preliminary study of senior citizen services in 1990. The study, conducted in the West Bank and Gaza, found the situation of the central West Bank region to be the most acute. After the oil boom of the early 1970s, many young people in the central West Bank traveled abroad to work in the Arab Gulf States. Political tensions during the Israeli occupation and first intifada led to an increased exodus of young people. Moreover, Kort explains, families in the central region are not as tied to the larger clan or extended family, particularly in the urban areas, as those in other regions. These factors have led to a substantial decrease in the total number of caregivers for the elderly. Atta Services has sought to respond to what Kort describes as "deplorable" circumstances facing Palestine's elderly. Senior citizens in Palestine have no safety net from the government to rely on for their needs. There is no program equivalent to Social Security or Medicare to help seniors with their basic medical costs, for example. The needs of the elderly are quite costly, particularly in terms of medical care. Meanwhile, fundraising for the elderly is challenging. Very few organizations are involved in grassroots elderly care, and it is an area that receives very little attention from outside donors. The Jerusalem Fund remains dedicated to supporting the efforts of Atta Services and other organizations that provide vital care to Palestine's senior citizen community.
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