Ethiopian nursing scholarships

Giving Ethiopian-Israelis access to their profession of choice is helping to ease Israel’s chronic nursing shortage

Despite the heroic effort of Israel’s health workers, the COVID-19 pandemic is highlighting the country’s critical nursing shortage.

There is one group desperate to join their ranks.  But until recently, the system worked against them.

That group are Ethiopian-Israelis.

Because of difficulties with pre-university testing, many young Ethiopian-Israelis failed to meet the selection criteria and missed out on a university place. This is despite the OECD telling Israel that it must find an additional 1,000 nurses by the end of the decade to provide the community with effective healthcare.

This directive was made before the impact of COVID-19. How much more important is it with Israel suffering under the weight of the pandemic on its precious hospital and healthcare resources?

In 2016, a novel program was initiated by La’Ofek in Israel that created an alternative pathway for this community to join the nursing profession.  Why is nursing so valued?  For many people living in rural areas of Ethiopia, a nurse was the only medical support they had.  It was the one person they could rely on to keep their family safe.

The Hadassah Ethiopian Nursing Scholarship is creating more highly-trained nurses at the most critical time in Israel’s history.  It is helping Ethiopian-Israelis earn a degree in nursing at the Henrietta Szold Hadassah - Hebrew University School of Nursing. 

Donate now to support Ethiopian nursing scholarship.

According to Professor George Braitberg, AM, Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, the lack of trained nursing staff in Israel is putting the community at risk. This is of real concern as Israel faces the worst health crisis in its 72-year history.

He says the nursing scholarships offer Israel a tangible, long-term strategic approach to addressing the nursing shortfall at a time when Israel is struggling to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Help us to help Israel by giving Ethiopian-Israeli students a hand up – not a handout – by donating generously to the Hadassah Ethiopian Nursing Scholarship.