Revkin Sari
Organization: YEDID
Year Founded: 1997
Country: Israel
Website: www.yedid.org.il
Through a national network of Citizen Rights Centres, YEDID empowers low-income Israelis of all ethnic and religious backgrounds to break the cycle of poverty and reach self-sufficiency by accessing their rights and economic opportunities. Focus: Social and Economic Rights, Homelessness Prevention, Affordable Housing Geographic Area of Impact: Israel Model: Leveraged Not-for-Profit Number of Direct Beneficiaries: 30,000 per year Annual Budget: US$ 2.5 million (2009) Percentage Earned Revenue: 8% Recognition: Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Israel, 2008 Background Since the creation of the State of Israel, it became clear that there has been a failure in fully integrating new immigrants into the country. Communications between long-time residents and new immigrants – Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews, rich and the poor, Muslim and Jewish, Right and Left political supporters – have worsened over time, with risks of social disintegration. Innovation and Activities YEDID (“friend” in Hebrew) was established with the goal of empowering the underprivileged by giving them the means to help themselves. Through its 24 Citizen Rights Centres throughout Israel, it seeks to turn the personal struggles of individuals in poor neighbourhoods into active initiatives that have a personal impact on their lives, while also advocating changes in public policy that will affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who find themselves in similar circumstances. In 2008, YEDID provided individual assistance to 35,188 low-income Israelis, a 6% increase on the number served in 2007. The most frequent client cases involved housing rights and homelessness prevention, social security benefits, debt management, employment rights and health rights. YEDID employs three strategies for accessing economic and social justice. At the individual level, YEDID provides free information and advice in legal, consumer, educational, employment, housing, national insurance, health and other social needs. The organization defends the rights of the disadvantaged and has helped thousands of families who faced eviction from their homes because they could not meet their mortgage payments. It also assists individuals in overcoming debt, refinancing bad debts, and avoiding repossessions and imprisonment. At the community level, educational programmes provide skills and information necessary to help people raise themselves out of poverty. Empowerment courses include financial literary and budget management, job readiness, community organizing and leadership development. At the national level, YEDID has had success in effecting policy changes that cover a broad range of issues, including homelessness, labour, welfare and healthcare regulations and legislation. For example, it succeeded in enabling single mothers to study in institutions of higher learning while continuing to receive welfare benefits – the only true way to free them of the bonds of poverty. The Entrepreneur Sari Revkin was awarded a Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland. Following professional training at Baltimore’s Welfare Rights Organization, she immigrated to Israel in 1983. For 14 years, she provided technical assistance for thousands of non-profit organizations as CEO of SHATIL, the New Israel Fund’s Capacity Building Center. Twelve years ago, Revkin founded YEDID, and as Executive Director, she leads her team in providing access to economic opportunities and social rights for those living outside of Israel’s mainstream society. Pragmatic in nature, Revkin is an optimist imbued with a social justice ideology.
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