A delegation of health and administration officials from
South Korea arrived in Eretz Yisroel to explore the
possibility of imitating the Yad Sarah model in Seoul.
The eight members of the delegation, headed by Prof. Ko San
of the University of Yunisai, spent three days touring Yad
Sarah locations and meeting with the directors of the various
departments. During the visit, a panel discussion on the
topic of "Home Services in the Community" was led by Prof.
Mordechai Shani, former Health Ministry director-general and
now director of the Sheba-Tel Hashomer Medical Center.
The visit was a reciprocal gesture after Yad Sarah
representatives were invited to Seoul and conducted workshops
on Yad Sarah activities in the framework of a conference on
the topic, "Creative Solutions for the Elderly
Population."
"Yad Sarah has extensive experience providing home and
community services and there is no reason not to share this
knowledge with other societies," says Meir Handelsman, Yad
Sarah's international liaison. Handelsman says these meetings
also enrich Yad Sarah's experience and means of coping with
various complex situations. "We also gain international
recognition and present Israel's good side."
Yad Sarah has assisted in the setup of dozens of lending
branches in the former Soviet Union and South Africa and an
equipment maintenance workshop in Angola, as well the
planning of a service center for children with special needs
in Uzbekistan. Yad Sarah has been recognized by the United
Nations as a non-government organization (NGO), granting it
the status of an observer organization in United Nations
institutions. Yad Sarah spokesmen note that Yad Sarah covers
all costs of assistance provided to representatives of
foreign countries.
