CHAI SAVES ANIMALS NOW, BUILDS A BETTER FUTURE FOR ALL
Educators in schools where CHAI’s “Expanding the Circle of Compassion” humane education program is taught told a team of independent evaluators:
The program is “excellent,” the instructors are “amazing,” the presentations and content are “stunning,” the students love the program and are very enthusiastic about it. (read more of their comments on pp. 6-7)
Researchers’ questionnaires administered to students before and after the program and interviews with principals, teachers and counselors showed that the program successfully:
- Instilled empathy, respect and responsibility in students
- Changed students’ attitudes and behavior toward animals
- Identified students at risk of future violence
- Enhanced the content and teaching methods of other teachers’ classes
- Improved attendance - some children come to school just for this program
We have a long waiting list of schools eager to participate in our transformative program. Please help us continue and expand the revolution! Your gift will help us reach more students and build a force for good across Israel. Donate online HERE.
Watch Our New Video To See What Your Support Is Achieving
Watch our new 15 minute video showing our program at work by clicking HERE . See for yourself how it is changing lives. Hear from students and educators the impact it is having. Enjoy it, then please share it with friends and family on email, Facebook, Twitter and other social media. Watch for our new website, now under construction.
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Message from CHAI’s Director:
Ample scientific evidence demonstrates that violence toward humans and toward animals are linked. Where there is one form of abuse, there are likely to be others. Preventing and ending violence toward animals also safeguards people.
Despite our differences, caring about others is always in our self-interest. Every life form is a strand in our web of life, inter-connected with and dependent upon every other strand.
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Recently, the Israeli government acknowledged that violence in Arab areas is three times higher than in Jewish areas, at least partly because of the gap between the level of law enforcement and education provided for its majority vs. minority residents. It concluded that it is in the country’s own economic and security interests to close the gap. Undertaking a leadership role to improve the situation, the government implemented multi-year plans to bolster law enforcement and education in Arab areas.
With its humane education program for Arab schools, CHAI continues to show leadership in creating a better world for animals throughout Israel.
Our students learn that all those we call “other” - human and non-human - have more in common than what separates us and all deserve to be treated with respect, empathy and compassion. The results speak for themselves.
Please help us continue and expand this transformational program. Every school we add costs approximately $10,000. Send your generous gift to CHAI, POB 3341, Alexandria, VA 22302, or donate online HERE.
Help us spread the word - post our video on your Facebook page, tell us of foundations that might consider a grant proposal from CHAI or reporters who might write an article about our work. The need is great and we are up to the task!
Wishing you a happy holiday season! You have made it a better one for the animals.
Nina Natelson
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Have You Provided For Your Legacy into the Future?
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We teach students to stand up for those who are weaker. When one of them saw Leila being beaten by a group of children, she didn’t hesitate. She snatched the kitten from the bullies, took her home and adopted her. Multiply this incident by the thousands we can reach. Your legacy can help us build a quiet revolution, a force for good all over Israel.
For more information about preserving your legacy, click HERE
On behalf of the animals, we thank you!
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Hakol Chai’s Education Director Invited to Lecture At Respected Religious Academy
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Hakol Chai’s Education Director, Muna Shaheen, DVM, has been invited to give a series of lectures on animal and environmental issues to students and religious leaders at the Kfar Bara Academy of Shariya Sciences. The Academy, which is known for its moderate views, is relied upon by shariya lawyers and judges in Israel for its opinions on points of Islamic law.
As our education program reaches more children and adults with its message of compassion, we are increasingly asked if a religious Muslim can live with a companion dog without violating the tenets of their faith. Many Muslim Arabs believe the Koran considers dogs as filthy and not allowed in the house, a belief that leads to dogs being neglected and abused. Our hope is that this groundbreaking lecture series will lead to discussions and eventually reinterpretations of writings that will permit positive bonds between humans and animals to flourish in Muslim Arab communities.
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Scientific studies increasingly offer evidence of the benefits of living with animals, including lower blood pressure during times of stress, higher survival rates following heart attacks, reduced risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and diffuse large-cell lymphoma, and increased positive social behaviors among autistic children. A study published in the journal Pediatrics found that children who lived with a dog in their first year of life had 31% fewer respiratory tract infections, 44% fewer ear infections and needed fewer antibiotics than children who lived without animals. Early exposure to animals strengthens the immune system.
The lectures will include topics such as the human-animal bond, the link between violence toward humans and toward animals, animal emotions, intelligence and abilities, and the adverse impact on the environment when humans fail to respect other living beings and the planet as interdependent strands in the web of life. Students will receive academic credit for attending.
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CHAI EQUIPS THE NEXT GENERATION WITH VALUES & CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS – TOOLS TO BUILD A BETTER WORLD
“When they understand that animals have feelings, thoughts and emotions, they naturally become more compassionate, and if I empower them as a teacher not to accept everything they were taught as kids, they have more power to make changes and more power to make choices that will help the whole society change.”
– Muna Shaheen, Director, Education in Arab schools
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Crowded together to feel empathy for the plight of chickens in battery cages
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Learning not to fear or harm animals,who have intelligence, emotions and amazing abilities
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Asking whether we have the right to keep wild animals in captivity
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Understanding product labels so they can vote with their wallets for a kinder world
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Learning to respect others who are different from us - seeing from a snake’s perspective
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CHAI’S PROGRAM TRANSFORMS STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION AND TREATMENT OF ANIMALS
“They learned how to take care of animals, that they must not hit animals…It is very internalized in their head already - they really understood and grasped the idea, and it's beautiful.” - Educator in one of the schools where we teach
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I used to hurt cats, but I changed. When I saw a mother cat killed by a car, I rescued her kittens.
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Animals are not worthless. They are just like us. We share the same environment.
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I used to throw stones at animals. When I rode a horse, I would force her to run very fast, but I learned that she feels tired and has emotions, so now I ride at a normal pace. I don’t beat her.
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Since the program began, I started to really love animals. I understood that they have feelings, just like us.
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There are many dogs in the streets. If we had a shelter, we could ask children to help care for them. We can do it!
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I was upset at seeing calves separated from their mothers. I told the farm caretaker that
animals have feelings and pleaded with him to have mercy for them until he agreed to talk to the manager.
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What Educators Told Researchers About CHAI’s Program
(all comments by principals, teachers, or counselors)
"Since the beginning of the program, I have not witnessed any animal abuse. I have noticed that something has changed – students have stopped abusing.”
"This program is excellent ... we have a lot of violence toward animals. I remember one year there was a competition between students to see who had collected the most dog or cat tails."
" The children like to attend the class and love the program. I see fewer absences and expect improvement in student achievement. Moreover, I feel the project has a positive effect on children’s connection to school."
"The program is excellent. There were changes in behavior and in perception among the students."
“Students actively participate. The program is excellent both in terms of lesson organization and lesson structure."
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Forming connection to other living beings
What is the impact of the program on students?
“...students were very influenced, they began to understand that animals have feelings. They began to be very emotional, and understood more. Their behavior toward animals did change, the program brought them closer to animals, to the concept of helping animals and not abusing them. Students explain that when they see someone abusing an animal, they intervene and stop them and are not afraid to criticize those who abuse animals."
" They really tried to change positively with the program. Some of the students would throw stones at dogs, or harass them. But today, they pass by the animals normally, without bullying or fear. Some students even say that when there is leftover food from meals, they do not throw it away, but instead leave it out for the stray dogs."
"...the program has brought benefits and positive change. They truly changed their attitude to animals, and this we could see from the stories the students would tell in class, such as: 'We saw someone harassing an animal, and we tried to stop them.' They seemed very keen on applying what they had learned in class."
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(Educators’ comments continued from p. 6)
“…the majority of teachers, those involved and those not involved in the program, noticed that violence in school is much, much less frequent. I feel this has also been passed on to the rest of the students at school. Besides the matter of preventing violence against animals, we are dealing with violence among students themselves - this violence has greatly diminished, we feel it."
“...there is a change in the students' behavior toward animals. They tell me how they used to perceive and relate to animals, that animals cannot have feelings and therefore, they did not care about them, and how today they see animals differently. They changed their perception and have more respect for animals... I think the program should be taught in the whole school and in every grade, even in junior high.”
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Students adopt puppies
"There is a change in the students' behavior towards accepting the other, and toward compassion. Students are more inclined to accept the other, to respect the other.”
“Some students started taking care of their horses at home - washing them, feeding them, giving them water. In the past, they would not have considered the horse’s needs. Now they are telling me that when they get home from school, they take care of the horse, give them water. They tell me there are cats in their neighborhoods and that they now give them water and food.”
How did the program affect the school staff?
“The school staff was positively influenced by and benefited from the program. It changed their behavior, seriously caught their attention, taught them new knowledge and provided them with new teaching methods.”
“…the school’s staff said that (like the students), they have undergone a change in their behavior toward and perception of animals, and this has also affected their teaching. (They) liked the program and expressed a desire to go deeper into its content. Some were exceptionally excited and happy about the program and felt it contributes to their knowledge.”
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