Ofanim Ngo

Ofanim is an Israeli non-profit organization that was founded in 2004 with the premise of providing extra-curricular education and enrichment activities to children in disadvantaged peripheral communities. We believe that ability can be found in each and every one of us. We therefore act as motivators, Empowering and exposing the children to the world of education and academia, and strengthen their motivation to study and succeed. Ofanim has an original and effective means of reaching the children in remote areas: buses that have been retrofitted into mobile labs equipped with computers and technology needed. Our beneficiaries are elementary school pupils from all sectors of Israeli society—Jewish and Arab, religious and secular, native-born and new immigrants. Our goals include nurturing the children’s critical-thinking skills and igniting their imaginations, developing their social and leadership skills, and motivating them to succeed in school and to pursue higher education in STEM fields. In addition, Ofanim works to build the children’s self-confidence by exposing them to valuable role models. Ofanim aims to give every child in the periphery the opportunity to reach his/her potential. Assessments and evaluations of the programs’ success, conducted by leading academics, revealed that more than 90% of the participants reported a very high level of satisfaction, as well as an improved sense of capability. We carried out a survey of Ofanim's graduates who were in 11th or 12th grade. The results show that 23.5% of the Ofanim's graduates are preparing to take their final high school math matriculation exam at the highest level, whereas the national average is 8.2% in the North and only 6.9% in the South. At the same time, 58% of the graduates express an interest in pursuing academic professions in STEM fields. In June 2019, Ofanim was granted a special consultative status to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations Committee on NGO.