Goverment launches NIS 870m plan aimed at Ethiopian immigrants - Haaretz

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Tue., February 12, 2008 Adar1 6, 5768

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Goverment launches NIS 870m plan aimed at Ethiopian immigrants

By Ruth Sinai

The government yesterday approved an ambitious NIS 870-million plan designed to help absorption of Ethiopian immigrants into Israeli society.

According to the plan, funds will be spent on professional training courses for community members so as to raise their levels of employment; on increasing the percentage of young people receiving high-school matriculation certificates; on improving the performance of Israel Defense Forces recruits by providing them with pre-military training; and on helping young couples purchase houses outside of the 15 neighborhoods where most members of the community are currently concentrated.

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Six government ministries, led by the Prime Minister's Office and assisted by members of the Ethiopian community, drew up the plan.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said during yesterday's cabinet meeting that the participation of community representatives will help it succeed. The program is set to begin operating this year, and has already been included in the budget.

Housing grants worth up to NIS 420,000 will be given to young couples to encourage them to purchase of homes outside the areas where the community was housed when it arrived in Israel.

Another aim of the plan is to boost the rate of employment among Ethiopian immigrants, from the current level of 50 percent to 60 percent, the same proportion as that among the general Jewish population. Would-be workers will receive training in vocations deemed appropriate to their individual skills, and day-care assistance will be offered to mothers so as to allow them to join the work force.

Though the army enlistment rate among the Ethiopian community is especially high, with some 90 percent of those eligible being drafted, most of them end up in menial assignments. In order to reverse this trend, youths will be offered pre-military training intend to increase their chances of succeeding in the army.

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