Na’ama’s Friends is a unique social-employment initiative at Kaima Beit Zayit for adults with intellectual disabilities, rooted in a deep commitment to partnership, equality, and self-worth. The initiative is the brainchild of Na’ama, who oversees its implementation.

Participants are an integral part of the farm team and full partners in the daily routine. Working in the open air, connecting with the land, and collaborating with farm staff and young people who have disconnected from mainstream education, they help weave a natural, unifying community fabric.

In addition to working in the fields and assisting in the packing house, participants are responsible, from seed to sale, for Kaima’s very popular line of herbal teas:

Cultivating pesticide-free herbal tea plants (chamomile, lemon balm, mint, lavender, holy basil, and more) on a one-dunam (0.25-acre) plot
Drying the harvested herbs
Blending them into distinctive teas and other products
Packaging the finished products

The teas are sold under the Kaima label through The Pantry, our experimental product-development kitchen, to Kaima’s supportive community of customers.

Impact

For participants, Na’ama’s Friends provides:

Salary and new, practical skills
Increased sense of self-efficacy and independence
Satisfaction of being part of a team and contributing to the collective
Stable, meaningful daily routine
Close one-on-one relationships and connections with the wider community

Our Partners

Na’ama’s Friends operates in partnership with the Shekulo Tov Group, which promotes vocational training and workplace inclusion, and Bituach Leumi (Israel’s National Insurance Institute).

Contribute to this initiative HERE

Special Projects

Between the Furrows

Beit Kaima

Na’ama's Friends

Feed my Neighbor

The Pantry

Apiary Project