(Israel21c) Abigail Klein Leichman - 11,000 Israeli teenagers working voluntary shifts on MDA ambulances throughout Israel make up 60% of the volunteer staff of Magen David Adom, Israel's national emergency-response network. "We have the biggest youth corps by percentage in the world, as far as I know," says Eli Yaffe, MDA deputy director for training and culture. MDA started a formal youth program in 1993 for 15- to 18-year-olds as an option for fulfilling the Education Ministry's mandatory 60 hours of volunteering for high-school students. Dina Abu Toameh of Jerusalem, a 17-year-old Muslim, says sometimes her Arabic translation abilities are critical. "In our shifts we can have both Arabs and Jews, but sometimes I'm the only one in the crew who knows Arabic."
2017-11-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive