Galit and Roni, parents of two, from Kfar Vradim in northern Israel, found themselves in debt of hundreds of thousands of shekels. Thanks to the assistance given to them by Paamonim over the past year, they start the new year with a smile.
“We’re an average family. Parents, 2 teenagers. Roni my husband, works as a self-employed business owner of a home renovation and maintenance business. I was employed for a long time and unfortunately I left my job and was unemployed. After a period of eight months in which I didn’t work and debts of hundreds of thousands of shekels, we felt we couldn’t afford to continue like this.”” Shares Galit. “We realized that we needed professional help and radical changes in the way we conducted our finances. Paamonim was the first name that came up in all the conversations with the friends we consulted.”
“You can’t say that we weren’t afraid at first to bring a stranger into our personal life and bank account. The fear also included the knowledge that the economic diet we would need would not be easy, but we were determined to make a change. We filled out the Paamonim Assistance Application Form – and we felt we were ready to go. When the mentor called us to make an appointment, we knew we had done the right thing, and after the first meeting we felt that we had taken an important step in our lives. Suddenly, someone objective looked at our financial situation and gave us tools to cope and manage our household, financially, and all this done without judgment. That’s the help we were missing, exactly.”
“Getting into a process in which it is necessary to account for every expense to a stranger who is not part of the household is stressful,” Galit shares. “Suddenly you have to write every expense – big or small. Every popsicle you buy for the kids, every purchase at the supermarket, every time you pay an electricity or water bill. But I think part of the issue is that on the first or second date, you’re accountable to yourself and not to strangers.” She notes that she and her husband came to the process after about twenty years of running a household and therefore the concern exists, but “you quickly realize that this is for you and not for someone else. When we began the process, many of our fears dissipated – we saw that the mentor did not interfere in the choices we made financially, but only paved the way for us and set a mirror for us so that we could embark on a new path.”
How much have you shared your financial situation with your friends and family?
“In the end, people understand on their own what their financial situation is. People knew I wasn’t working, suddenly we couldn’t respond positively to invitations from friends to go out. At first it was unpleasant and we only shared with those close to us, but as we progressed in the process we shared more and even took pride in telling about our journey.”
Galit comments, “Following the change we have undergone, we understand the importance of Paamonim helping people who are in severe and heavy financial debt to embark on a new path, or just to receive tools for wise conduct even if there are no large debts. We regret today that we did not approach Paamonim much earlier.”
As for the process itself, she says: “The process required a lot of work and commitment. For the first time, we had to sort out the paperwork and ongoing expenses, from our mortgage, insurance and even to the level of ice cream and a cup of coffee you buy on the go. That’s when we felt exposed. Then begins the process of building a family budget. We jointly set family priorities, despite differences of opinion and sometimes disagreement between us. Throughout the process, we realized that every family has things that are important to them and that we can’t give up. We just need to see how to achieve our joint goals accordingly.”
The recovery process of a family requires the participation of all family members, including children, especially when it comes to adolescent children. Galit and Roni’s children are teenagers, and like any teenager, they wanted the same things their friends have. “We chose to involve the children in the process to an extent that suited us. Even if at first they felt that they were being reduced, they soon realized the importance of the process to the whole family . The children received a life lesson, both on proper financial conduct and gave them an example in taking responsibility.”
The Afori Family
Galit and Roni’s process lasted eight months, “until we felt with that we could continue on our own, without our mentor. Of course, you can keep in touch, and in the first month I turned to her for technical help.”
“The process is not over yet. We’re just sorry we didn’t turn to Paamonim much earlier, it would have saved us a lot of aggravation and wrong financial choices. We have more debts to pay back but we are on the right track, we have set priorities and we know what we must continue to do, so that we can put the difficult period behind us. Paamonim showed us the way and for that we are very grateful to our mentor.”
Paamonim is a voluntary organization that assists families and individuals in the field of economic management. The assistance is provided through thousands of Paamonim experts in the field of family finance and includes: information and tools for self-employment, online answers to questions, a one-time consultation meeting and personal or group financial support lasting several months. In addition, the organization operates financial education programs throughout the country, including lectures, study plans and group workshops.
Paamonim is recognized and appreciated by the general public. Paamonim’s service is contingent on the family’s motivation and desire to receive assistance and carry out a process of change, its willingness to cooperate with full transparency and the existence of a fixed income or a proven potential and effort to create a steady income. The progress and success of the economic recovery process is made with the close assistance of a mentor, and is granted to the entire population free of charge.
The organization is currently running a fundraising campaign. Help with your donation to help more families in the new year.