NGO opening office
Since its founding in 2001, IsraAID has provided emergency relief services and implemented sustainable development programs in more than 50 countries.
Israeli NGO IsraAID sees “a lot of opportunities in Australia”, CEO Yotam Polizer told a boardroom lunch in Sydney this month.
The purpose of the event, at which IsraAID chief development & communications officer Tamar Kosky Lazarus also spoke, was to brief attendees on the organisation’s work since Polizer’s last visit to Australia in October, as well as canvass local opinions and knowledge regarding opening an office in Sydney.
Polizer spoke about IsraAID’s response to the earthquake in Turkey – where a filtration system developed by an Israeli startup is providing access to clean water – and its ongoing work in Ukraine, where 30 staff are providing relief on the ground while a program with specially trained local psychologists to provide trauma therapy is ongoing.
“We feel like with the crises that we’re dealing with, especially in the last few years, from Ukraine to Afghanistan to Turkey and all these others, we are still in many places scratching the surface,” he said.
“We really need to deepen our impact to be able to have a stronger response and stronger impact. Australia, we believe, will be a key point in this strategy.”
He noted Australia’s location close to the Pacific, where IsraAID already has a long-term project in Vanuatu.
“We already have a small partnership with the Australian government who funded our project in Vanuatu,” he said.
“And I believe we’ll expand our work to other countries in the Pacific who are really suffering from climate change and cyclones every year.
“It’s also a great base for Southeast Asia.”
While in Sydney, Polizer also spoke at Moriah College and at a breakfast jointly hosted by the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies and Stand Up, held at JewishCare.
Since its founding in 2001, IsraAID has provided emergency relief services and implemented sustainable development programs in more than 50 countries.
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