BGU | Fundraising Handbook

2.5 COMMUNITY UPLIFT AND SOCIAL ACTION Critical to BGU’s ability to fulfill its founding mandate

The Need BGU was founded in 1969, with a government mandate to develop Israel’s Southern region, an area that has long been underserved and has yet to reach its full potential. The University continues to be driven by the vision of its namesake, David Ben-Gurion who believed that the future of the country lay in the Negev. To fulfill its founding mandate, BGU continuously strives to invigorate the region on a variety of fronts, advancing the Negev through education, healthcare, research, the University’s trademark pioneering spirit, and community outreach. The need for this has increased in the aftermath of October 7, and BGU has risen to the challenge and is spearheading efforts to revitalize the Negev and ensure its future prosperity. The needs associated with the Negev’s recovery continue to unfold, alongside the region’s longstanding social needs.

These needs are great. Despite Israel’s reputation as the “startup nation,” poverty is a severe problem in Israel. In fact, Israel has the second highest poverty rate among all OECD countries. Israel is also a country that suffers from massive disparities in areas like education, healthcare, housing, wealth, and more. While seen across the country, these disparities are often more pronounced in the periphery. Similarly, there is great inequality among different segments of Israel’s population, placing many at a significant disadvantage and thwarting their ability to advance. The Negev is home to diverse populations, including a large number of Bedouin, who live in villages with limited services, and Jews of Ethiopian descent, many of whom live in Beer-Sheva’s absorption centers for long periods of time. Other segments of the population, like Holocaust survivors, have different needs. Given the many

STUDENT ACCESS AND SUPPORT

31

COMMUNITY UPLIFT AND SOCIAL ACTION