“We are praying for you that God Almighty will pay you back for all the good you, Leket Israel, have done for these children.”
We had the privilege of meeting Connie who is in charge of a daycare center for Nigerian Christian Refugee Children in a direly poor section of Israel. These are the children of parents who have left persecution in Africa. Many of us do not realize but there are thousands of African refugees living today in Israel.
There are many tragic stories concerning these refugees. Before the daycare center was created and Leket Israel was providing the children with hundreds of meals per week up to one third of the refugee population died of malnutrition in Israel. It was not and still is not uncommon for some husbands to drop the child or children off at the daycare center, abandon their wives, and go back to Africa. Leaving the wives with at least one child or children to support. The children never see their father again and in some cases the mother, helpless, would not pick the children up. These dear ones became in essence orphans.
There are also many situations where both parents are working but cannot afford to pay the fees for the daycare. These children are looked after free of charge. Their parents are extremely grateful to the center and to Leket Israel. Without this facility and the nutritious food the children are given, they would not know what to do.
Connie further told us that a healthy body is a healthy mind. The food provided to the children from Leket Israel, which is highly nutritious, is the reason why the children are so healthy. She reiterated that Leket Israel has been a blessing to the 55 kids in her daycare center, not only in feeding the children but also in renovation of this place of refuge for them.
At the end of our discussion, Connie had this to say, “Before there was Leket Israel, everything was on my shoulders. Not only did I have to find a way to the supermarket but I also had to prepare all the meals! What a Blessing it is to have Leket Israel delivering already prepared meals for the children! Thank you so much for what you are doing here to help us!”