World ORT operates in Israel as World ORT Kadima Mada (WOKM), implementing programs that have raised standards of STEM education in underprivileged communities throughout the country’s northern and southern peripheries.
Long before Israel’s independence in 1948, ORT was devoting expertise and resources to helping Jews make new and better lives in their ancient homeland. ORT has been supporting the most vulnerable people in Israel to transform their lives and be a part of the country’s success.
WOKM aims to tackle the social and economic inequality faced by communities in the country’s geographic and socioeconomic periphery. These communities lack educational and career-related resources. Without high-quality education, children in these areas face significant obstacles to succeeding in school and in their future careers.
WOKM bridges the educational gaps – especially in STEAM education – to help students develop critical skills, such as digital literacy, problem-solving, leadership skills, independent learning, and teamwork.
It also furnishes them with skills enabling them to become ‘global citizens’, exposing them to ethical and moral issues in wider society. These are the skills students will need in order to compete in the contemporary workplace.
Kfar Silver Youth Village, located near Ashkelon in Israel, has been owned and operated by World ORT since 2016. An agricultural school, it also teaches STEM and provides its diverse body of boarders and day students aged 11 to 18 – who include students from disadvantaged backgrounds – with opportunities to excel.
The school has a high matriculation success rate, and it emphasizes inclusion, social mobility, and academic and vocational excellence. Major capital projects have significantly revitalized the campus in recent years.
Another of WOKM’s flagship programs is YOUniversity, through its Centers of Excellence. More than 60,000 students have benefited from hands-on learning experiences and access to top-class resources in subjects such as robotics, 3D printing, and app development.
It aims to inspire students to pursue careers in high-demand STEAM fields and offers project-based learning for real-world applications, integration of arts and creativity into STEAM education, and community collaboration with schools and municipalities.
Peru
Colegio León Pinelo is an affiliated ORT school and the only school serving Lima’s Jewish community. It is ranked among the top schools in Peru.
Uruguay
Universidad ORT Uruguay became the country's first officially recognized private university in 1996 and is now the largest of its kind in the country.
Russia
Russia is the birthplace of ORT. The organization was founded in 1880 in St. Petersburg to provide Russian Jews with employable skills as a way out of poverty.