Shlomit, married with 4 children from Netivot
Today: working as a customer service representative at Bezeq Online and as a tour guide
“I’m fulfilling my dream and am very proud that I took part in the program and in the processes I underwent, and am still undergoing.”
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The fact that Shlomit joined one of Be-Atzmi’s employment programs wasn’t at first obvious…she came to the initial meeting after being referred by her social worker at the Department of Social Services in Netivot. She demonstrated a total lack of desire and motivation. And, in fact, when the meeting was over, she decided that it wasn’t for her – and left. About a year later, Shlomit called and asked to meet with a Be-Atzmi coordinator. This time she had received a recommendation about the Eshet Chayil program from a friend and decided to give it a chance.
When Shlomit joined the program, she had no permanent job and was working infrequently as a cleaning woman. She has 12 years of schooling, did a year of National Service, and worked in the past as a secretary for about a year.
At the beginning of the group sessions, she had a hard time fitting in and had low expectations of herself. Slowly and at her own pace, she made progress. While in the program, the coordinator suggested that she join a project in Netivot called Cooking Women, where the change first became visible – Shlomit started displaying a different kind of presence. As her progress became increasingly evident, so did Shlomit’s motivation and her desire to uncover her inner strengths and abilities.
Some time later, Shlomit managed to get a job at Bezeq Online in Beer-Sheva, where she works as a customer service representative. Being a mother of four, that job meant a huge commitment on her part because she has to commute to Beer-Sheva from Netivot and works shifts. Nevertheless, she soon received a letter of commendation from her employer for her diligence and for selling a large number of subscription plans!
Shlomit also joined Kidum (a JDC-Israel Tevet pilot program) and decided she wanted to be a licensed tour guide (which involves a long and very demanding course that only people with B.A. degrees can take). So she was initially referred to a pre-academic course at Sapir College, which she had to complete before being accepted to a B.A. program.
At the same time, Shlomit registered for a tour guide course run by the Volunteers Division at the Israel Association of Community Centers, where she began acquiring hands-on experience. She also passed their Touring Community course and started organizing tours for the Association. Since then, she has organized a variety of tours, including a tour for her fellow program participants and a tour for the graduates of the tour guide course she took. She has done this in a highly professional manner and everyone takes joy in her success!