Charity gives protective vests to social workers in rocket-hit towns

The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews says it handed out 500 protective vests yesterday to social workers and caregivers in communities in the Gaza periphery, to protect them during rocket barrages.

Sderot social worker Avner Chair says: “The majority of the public is unaware of the role that social workers play in an emergency or crisis.

“I am one of many social workers who arrive at the scene of rockets and converse with victims suffering from anxiety and shock while also giving them support and determining the type of extra treatment that they need. Just a week ago, there were three rockets in one day, and I went out to each of the locations.”

Yael Eckstein, president of the IFCJ, adds that aid providers “are forced to respond immediately while under fire. The provision of security for these social workers is essential both at the individual level and the communal level.”