THERAPY FOR YOUTH AT RISK
On a clear, crisp day in Alon, a community located just a short drive east of Jerusalem, young Benjamin accompanies a small child riding on a horse at “Ruthy’s Farm,” a local therapeutic horse farm. As he walks alongside the horse while guiding and monitoring the child, Benjamin remembers that he was once in the same position as that child—feeling intimidated, nervous and too scared to climb onto the horse. Now that he is a staff member, helping this child overcome his fears and traumas, Benjamin sees himself as having reached the pinnacle of his early adulthood, becoming a confidant young man with a most promising future ahead of him.
At Ruthy’s Farm, young people like Benjamin and many children from broken families arrive burdened with fears, traumas and insecurities. Over time, they are given the tools and direction from staff on hand to blossom and reach their full potential, obtaining a new sense of self-appreciation and self-satisfaction.
Their experience does not end on the saddle of a horse. Having obtained a new recognition for their ability to succeed by learning to ride and connect with a horse, the youth are inspired to enhance their character development at the farm, turning into caregivers for the horses and becoming staff members. Ruthy’s Farm has also taken on a vital role in treating soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress. With similar guidance and support, these soldiers gradually rebuild themselves emotionally, bonding with their horses and rediscovering the many strengths and skills they had lost.
- FOUNDED: 2012
- Location: In Alon, a community founded in 1990, named after the late interim Israeli Prime Minister Yigal Allon and located on the only artery connecting Jerusalem and Israel’s Eastern border with Jordan.
Recently, Ruthy’s Farm needed to move its center of operations. In order to fully function at its new site, Ruthy’s Farm, a therapeutic horse farm in the Biblical Heartland that serves broken children and soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress, needs your help to build an autonomous solar power system and to construct a residence for security guards. With your gift, you will play a direct role in enabling the farm to heal many more broken children and soldiers, providing them with the hope and determination they need to build a most promising future!