World ORT Emergency Campaign for Argentina

28.01.13

The World ORT Emergency campaign continues to provide a crucial life line for ORT students and schools in Argentina. Despite the crisis situation, ORT Argentina tries to remain positive and focused, and continues to provide high quality technological education to its students. ORT Argentina people are very grateful for the great support they have received from the ORT family and friends around the world. Photo: ORT Argentina students on an exchange program to Atlanta, US Despite recent signs of economic recovery in 2003, unemployment in Argentina remains high, and income, in real terms, has deteriorated. Many have sought to escape the situation and in the last couple of years, 20,000 Argentineans have made Aliyah. World ORT, committed to keeping ORT schools in Argentina open and supporting its students and their community in these hours of need, embarked on a emergency campaign raising funds to rescue ORT Argentina from the most serious consequences of the economic crisis it has been facing. During 2002 and 2003, World ORT has successfully raised around $3.75 million from national organizations, the American UJC and Federations, the Jewish Agency, the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), Safra and Meyer Foundations and Private donors. The funds include support grants and tuition fees for students who would otherwise have had to drop out of the Jewish education system. Today, more than half of ORT Argentina students are receiving assistance with their tuition fees, which ranges from 10% to 100%. Without this support, none of the students would be afforded the opportunity to attend a Jewish school. Their future would be less secure and as a result they may be lost to the Jewish community. If those students are given support, they will receive an excellent practical education allowing them to embark upon the road to a golden future, with the chance to become productive members of their community. The campaign funds provided hot meals for needy students. Many ORT Argentina students have both breakfast and lunch at the school, which provides their only daily meals. Funds raised by the World ORT Emergency Campaign have also been used to buy books, medical supplies and implement counselling services at ORT schools in Argentina.