In 2000-2002, the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, in cooperation with local authorities, established neighborhood centers in ten cities with large concentrations of Ethiopian-Israelis. The centers coordinate municipal care and promote the development of services and programs for these immigrants, while increasing cooperation among various agencies, pooling resources and fostering community support.
To learn about the needs of these immigrants in a variety of areas, and to provide information inputs for the work of the centers, a survey of Ethiopian-Israeli households was conducted in eight cities. This report, the eighth in the series, presents data from a survey conducted in Lod. Altogether, data on 545 families were collected, representing 89% of all Ethiopian-Israeli families in Lod. The data reveal important findings:
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One-third of Ethiopian-Israelis aged 18 and over in Lod have been in Israel no longer than five years. Half the adults arrived in Lod during the past three years. This has ramifications for the families’ circumstances in all areas of life.
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Single-parent families constitute 23% of all families, and 31% of the families with children.
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The overall employment rates for those aged 18-64 are 42% for men and 27% for women. The employment rates in the principal working ages 26-44 are 56% among men and 36% among women. These rates are low in comparison to Ethiopian-Israeli communities in other cities; and very low in comparison to the general Jewish population.
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In 41% of the two-parent families with children whose head of household is of working age, neither parent is employed. In 25% of these families both parents are employed. Only 19% of single mothers are employed.
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Fifty-two percent of the children up to age 18 live in families where neither one of the parents is employed.
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About a quarter of the Ethiopian-Israeli men, but only 14 % of the women, are participating or have participated in vocational training courses. Over three-quarters of those through age 45 who have not yet participated in such frameworks are interested in doing so.
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The non-employed men noted that they primarily require vocational guidance, vocational training, as well as assistance making initial contact with potential employers, in order to be integrated into employment. The women reported that they mainly require assistance in paying for childcare during work hours.
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Almost all of the children aged 4-17 attend school. Seventy three percent of the three-year-old children are in day care frameworks or kindergartens; however, only 45% of the two-year-old children are in day care.
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In half the families with school-aged children, parents report that the children do not have all the required textbooks. Sixty-six percent of families with very young children have no books to read at home.
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Among children living at home, 84% of those aged 6-13, but only 31% of those aged 14-17, participate in after-school enrichment or educational programs.
The findings of the survey are being utilized for planning intervention programs for Ethiopian-Israelis in Lod, and serve, together with the findings from the other 7 cities, as the basis for national policymaking.
The survey was initiated and funded by the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption as part of the program to develop the neighborhood centers.