Mifalot – The Education and Social Project

Mifalot is the largest and most diverse sport for development and peace organization in the Middle East. To date, over 20,000 children and youth in Israel, Palestine and Jordan participate in Mifalot's programs each year. Founded in 1997 by the owners of Hapoel Tel Aviv Football Club and the Kahanoff Foundation, Mifalot's vision is: • To capture the power of football in order to build more active, compassionate, just and cohesive communities, and • To support the sustainable development of a more engaged society, and • To promote peaceful coexistence in our immediate region and beyond. Our primary business is serving the educational and social needs of children and youth in our region, who graduate our programs with the life skills and tools to learn, grow, excel and develop their community and world. Mifalot has over 300 projects that use football to accomplish the following program objectives: Promoting peace and coexistence by creating bonds of friendship between Israelis, Palestinians and Jordanians; • Providing much needed assistance to children living in at-risk, disadvantaged or isolated environments in our region and internationally; • Teaching life skills to children with special needs; • Promoting the integration and inclusion of newly arrived immigrants into Israeli society; • Encouraging the social integration of Arab-Israelis by empowering the individual and the Arab-Israeli community; • Shaping socially responsible and value enriched leaders for tomorrow. Mifalot leverages the platform provided by the Hapoel Tel Aviv Football Club to engage political institutions, the corporate sector, the general public and the international community to ensure that due attention is paid to the most pressing social issues in the region and internationally. The Hapoel Tel Aviv Football Club has shifted the public’s perception about the role of a professional club in helping children and communities. Rather than carrying the image of a marketing ploy or public relations campaign, Mifalot is viewed by its funders, supporters, and partners as an earnest and effective use of sport to promote social development and peace. Mifalot’s local success over the past 13 years is driving our new international initiative. To date, we have assisted communities in implementing and adapting our project models to their local needs in Jordan, Palestine, Rwanda, Haiti and Cameroon.