What do you do when you finish serving your country? You take what you have experienced and learnt and serve communities around the world.
This is what many who have served their compulsory time in the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) do once their service is over. A year of travel and exploration is just what is needed after three years of compulsory service for males and two to three years for females. After stringent routines and following orders, losing yourself amongst the wonders of the world is a welcome respite.
Many escape to the serene hills and mountains of Nepal, or to the exotic jungles of South America and Ashrams of India to explore new territories and cultures and fall in love with the people they meet.
Travelling to far off destinations where many of the inhabitants live below the poverty line or in areas where they are disadvantaged has an impact on the lives of these former soldiers who want to share their knowledge and expertise and uplift the people that they meet.
This is where Heroes for Life is making a significant difference.
Heroes for life is an extraordinary organization that has a simple vision. Their vision is to turn Israel into a superpower of paying it forward in developing countries and to run volunteer humanitarian projects in four different countries across the world. They want to help others through Tikkun Olam and strengthen the image of Israel and the IDF around the world.
A brotherhood of heroes
Heroes for Life was founded in 2013 by three IDF officers who had served in the same elite unit. Like most soldiers, they travelled once they had completed their army service. After witnessing the gross poverty in some of the countries that they visited, they decided to start an organization founded on a very simple principle – help make the world a better place.
And so far, they are exceeding expectations!
From Gondare in Ethiopia to Buenos Aires in Argentina, Israel’s finest sons and daughters are fulfilling a different kind of mission – Tikkun Olam (fixing the world). The aim was to initially start off with four countries but this has expanded rapidly and they are now improving lives in six. In September 2018, Heroes for life will begin to work with blind and mute children in Mexico, helping to teach them English, math and basic life skills, like personal hygiene. A similar project already exists in Kathmandu, Nepal.
In 2015, Heroes for Life inaugurated a project in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Every December, volunteers travel to the slums of San Fernando in Buenos Aires. Volunteering lasts for two weeks and is focused on educational activities with children from the slum. Volunteers engage in renovation and painting projects that are planned and executed by the delegation (for example the delegation of 2015, built a dining room for the children of the neighborhood) and teaching children a variety of classes such as English, math, music, life values and principles and personal hygiene. This is very similar to what Heroes for Life have done in Mumbai, India. Volunteers will also help repair a shelter-residence in 2018 in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
These soldiers do not expect thank you’s and recognition – the work and happy faces is all the reward that they need but their projects have caught the interest of the global media.
It looks like it is mission accomplished.
