Meet the Ethiopian-Israeli nurses graduating in 2024 thanks to the generosity of Australian donors, who are fully funding their scholarships.
As a result of a ground-breaking agreement between the United Israel Appeal and Hadassah Australia, we are closing Israel’s nursing gap and providing a career path for disadvantaged Ethiopian-Israelis.
To find out how you can make an impact by supporting a nursing scholarship, contact our Development Directors or donate now.
“I want to thank the Australian donors who are making it possible for me to concentrate all my efforts on earning my Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. I am grateful that I have no financial worries which would make this exceedingly overwhelming for me." Read more
With six siblings at home, Shimrit always knew that her parents would be unable to put her through university, which is why the nursing scholarship is such a boon - giving Shimrit the “freedom from financial worry” that she needs to successfully complete her degree. Read more
"I love this profession. A family member of mine suffers from alcoholism. Accompanying her many times to the hospital, I have had a first hand glimpse of the difficulties of having neither the language skills nor the ability to integrate into a new society,” she said. Read more
At 21 years old, Salant is among the youngest of the students in the fourth cohort of the Ethiopian Nursing Scholarship program. She lives with her three siblings in the Krayot suburbs, outside of Haifa. Read more
Rivka, 23 years old, is the eighth of nine children, and grew up in Gedera. Her father is a Rav of the local Ethiopian community and her mother is a housekeeper. Read more
For Racheli, the spark to become a nurse was ignited when her older brother developed cancer. She and her family were with him during chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and slept in his room during his many hospitalisations. Read more
"I saw the dedication of the nursing staff around me, their ability to give, listen and help their patients. That's when I decided that I really wanted to become a nurse," Rachel said. Read more
Most of all, Mazal is thankful for the financial support that the Ethiopian Nursing Scholarship program provides. It means that she is able to totally devote her time and energy to the demands of her course load and is relieved of all financial worries. Read more
From a young age Hodaya was encouraged to study nursing by her mother. Her mother’s dream for her, became her dream for herself. Read more
2020 has been a formative year for Esther. Between the COVID-19 pandemic, adjusting to remote learning, and keeping up with intensive studies, Esther also got married and she and her husband moved to Ashkelon. Read more
Daniella has just successfully finished her preparatory (mechina) year which has prepared her for the academic track. She observes, "the program is not as easy as I thought it would be, but this is still very much what I want." Read more
For as long as she can remember, Chikola has wanted to work directly with people and have a job in which she could help others - a job that has meaning and impact. She is convinced that a career in nursing will provide that. Read more
When you ask Chen why she chose nursing, she answers simply: “Nursing is a profession that is one of total giving, total attention and the knowledge to know how to correctly treat a patient.” Read more
Twenty-two year old Belaynesh lives in Haifa with her five siblings and mother. Working at an Israeli hospital during her national service confirmed her desire to become a nurse. Read more
When Aschila was five, her family made aliyah. She says without her scholarship she would never have been able to fulfill her dream of being a nurse. Read more