What we Do
Malki Foundation UK is a dedicated charity committed to supporting and raising awareness of Keren Malki’s incredible work in Israel. We aim to do whatever we can to support them in their tireless and ongoing commitment to provide vital therapies for severely disabled children in Israel.
Beneficiaries
All of Keren Malki’s programmes serve children with severe disabilities throughout Israel without regard for the race, religion, gender, political views or economic status of the child or of the family. The children range in age from first year of life to age 21. All have been diagnosed with severe physical disability and all reside with their families at home.
We place special emphasis on early intervention. Providing support for children aged five or less contributes to a reduced need for support later in life.
Operating since 2001, Keren Malki has funded more than 70,000 therapy sessions, benefiting some 2,000 children.
every donation makes a difference
Therapies At Home
The Therapies at Home programme enables therapies to children with severe disabilities in Israel who live in the family home. The multiple challenges faced by these children and their families daily are often extreme. Beyond the love and emotional support which are the bedrock of effective care, they very often require as much paramedical therapy support as the family can afford. Paying for therapies is a major factor in the lives of such families. And while schools – for children who can attend - provide some therapies, these are too often inadequate or sufficiently specific to the child’s needs to be effective.
Through Therapies at Home, we heavily subsidise the cost of five key paramedical therapies:
Physical Therapy
Therapeutic Horse Riding
Hydrotherapy
Speech Therapy
Occupational Therapy
* Hydrotherapy incorporates the Lilly and Alexander Enten Memorial Hydrotherapy Fund.
While our aim is always to minimise bureaucracy and delay, qualifying for Keren Malki support requires that the child has been diagnosed with a significant disability, must reside in the family home as distinct from an institution, and must have applied for and used whatever relevant therapies were approved by the family’s government-funded medical coverage. (Israelis know this as Kupat Holim; elsewhere it’s termed HMO or health Maintenance Organisation.) The family is not asked to provide proof of income; intentionally, the family’s socioeconomic status has no role in the acceptance criteria. The same is true of their religious, political or other orientation. The child and the disability are what matter.
In making its application, the family is asked to provide a specialist doctor’s report attesting to the disability. In some cases, they may also be asked to furnish proof that their Kupat Holim has rejected or failed to approve the therapies they request. The Therapies at Home programme does not come in place of government subsidised HMO, but rather as a supplement to the scarce and inadequate funding of therapies available to these children via Israel’s government-funded scheme.
The families are empowered to be active decision-makers in their child’s wellbeing by deciding which therapy is best for their child, via the therapist they trust and select.
Once accepted to the programme, the parents work independently with the therapist they choose in order to achieve the best outcome for their child. The family gets an annual budget which on average amounts to 6 therapy sessions a month per child. Once each month, parents mail the therapy receipts to Keren Malki and are reimbursed 85-100% of the cost of the therapies.
Therapies on Wheels
Formally known as the Zlata Hersch Memorial Therapists on Wheels Programme, this got underway in 2011. Paramedical therapists, supervised by a small volunteer team of multidisciplinary specialists, are despatched to children who are housebound, or live in Israel’s peripheral communities, or both. For several reasons, communities in Israel’s far north and far south have inadequate access to therapies. Fewer therapists live or work there and travelling to where the clinics are located imposes an added hardship on the family.
Therapists in this programme travel to where the children with special needs live, delivering high quality paramedical therapies in three disciplines: physical, speech and occupational therapy. The entire cost of the service, including travel, is covered by Keren Malki.
As with all the programmes, the child to be diagnosed with a significant disability and must reside in the family home rather than in an institution.
Once accepted to the programme, the admissions committee guided by medical and therapeutic experts recommends appropriate therapies and therapists. The therapist is put in contact with the family and as part of the initial meeting, goals and expected outcomes for the child’s development and rehabilitation are agreed. The selection and frequency of therapies (often more than one) is specific to the child ‘s needs and challenges.
Each half year, the therapists submit a progress report for the child, detailing success in relation to goals. The report services as the basis for continued support.
Equipment Lending Programme
Keren Malki has provided long-term minimal or no-cost lending of mobility and therapy equipment since 2002. Essential assistive and mobility equipment for children is often the key to ensuring the child’s treatment and rehabilitation after medical interventions can succeed in the home environment.
Families caring for children with severe disabilities often face financial hardships, exacerbated by the necessity for one parent to sacrifice employment to provide round-the-clock care. The substantial costs of necessary assistive equipment and therapeutic treatments further burden families. Moreover, children with disabilities frequently undergo multiple surgeries and interventions, amplifying the financial strain. However, upon discharge from the hospital, the necessity for mobility equipment becomes imperative.
In many cases, this Keren Malki programme provides an essential short-term solution as the child’s application for funding makes it often-slow way through the bureaucracy of one or another government office.
As with all Keren Malki programmes, this serves children aged 0-21 and residing in the family home who require assistive equipment as part of their treatment or rehabilitation regimen. Support is given irrespective of race, religion or politics.
Each item of equipment is tailored to meet the individual needs of the child and is loaned free of charge. Once utilised, the equipment undergoes refurbishment before being loaned to the next child in need.
How to Support
Donations from supporters and friends are essential to the work of Malki Foundation UK. The funds we raise and grant are our contribution to the positive, constructive, concrete and strictly non-partisan work of Keren Malki. They are also the most practical way to ensure Malki’s life is never forgotten. Please give your support and do a positive and valuable deed in these difficult times by donating. To delay sometimes means to forget, so please consider making your donation decision today to help our work.
The Therapies at Home programme provides five core therapies to children with severe disabilities in Israel who are living at home: physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, hydrotherapy and therapeutic horse riding.
As an indication (these figures change with time), the costs of supporting one child in this programme for an entire year is £1,600. We currently (Summer 2024) have 60 children on the waiting list. Funds are essentially the only limiting factor; please help us extend our coverage to all of them.
The Therapists on Wheels sends paramedical therapists to children who are either housebound or live in Israel’s peripheral communities (or both). Mobile therapists engaged by Keren Malki travel to where the children with special needs live, delivering quality paramedical therapies in three fields: physical, speech and occupational therapy. The entire cost of the service, including travel, is covered by the charity.
As an indication (these figures change with time), the costs of supporting one child in this programme for an entire year is £4,000. Funds are essentially the only limiting factor; please help us extend our coverage to all of them. We plan to have 42 children in this program by the end of 2024.