Ethiopian National Project


The Ethiopian National Project (ENP) helps Ethiopian teenagers who are new to Israel overcome social obstacles. The program takes a holistic approach to improving school performance through specialized instruction in small groups of no more than eight students.

The ENP began in 2005, and by 2009 the program was serving 5,000 students in more than 120 high schools. The same year, ENP Youth Centres served more than 3,000 teens throughout the country.

Today, the ENP also runs 24 Outreach and Treatment Centres for at-risk Ethiopian-Israeli teenagers across the country. One of these, which is supported in part by Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, is located in Sderot, a community on the Gaza border which is under the constant threat of rocket attacks.

This Outreach and Treatment Centre provides a wide range of services and programming, including:

  • Enriching and empowering activities that encourage the teens’ personal development
  • Leadership opportunities that inspire personal responsibility
  • A warm and supportive atmosphere, offering an alternative to hanging out on the streets
  • Emotional support through counsellors
  • A sense of identity, belonging and community through celebration of Jewish, Israeli and Ethiopian festivals


In the 2011-12 year, some of the many activities included gardening, matriculation preparation, coursework at Ben Gurion University, IDF preparation workshops, outdoor challenges, hip hop classes and volunteering in the community. More...