Sderot Resilience Centre

In cooperation with the Municipality of Sderot, JNF Australia will support the construction of the new Sderot Resilience Centre to assist children living with PTSD.
Animal-assisted therapy is an important tool in helping to improve a patient’s social, emotional, or cognitive functioning. The existing Animal-Assisted Therapy Centre was established three years ago, providing treatment to hundreds of children and teenagers from throughout the city and the surrounding towns. Unfortunately, dozens of children are unable to receive the much needed therapy due to a lack of space and resources.

The new 1500m2 Therapy Centre will include treatment rooms, animal pens and open spaces where a variety of small animals are free to roam. In addition, part of the complex will be allocated as an agility space for dog-assisted therapy. The connection between the child and the animals will give the child a sense of responsibility as the animal’s caregiver, and teach him to develop the skills for dealing with crisis situations, making it easier to cope. All the rooms in the Centre will be rocket-proof, negating the need to run for cover during times of emergency.

With your help, the Centre will guide those living with trauma back to a sense of safety, helping to improve interpersonal connections, encourage engagement in the community, and regain areas of functioning that may have been diminished by their trauma.