¡Hola!
I have grasped the hang of things for Tzedaká and am confident in explaining their mission and my role.
Tzedaká is a Jewish organization that aims to provide products and services for communities vulnerable to poverty or those that deserve a dignified life by “supporting, promoting, and developing social and educational initiatives.” Overall, they strive to improve the quality of life! This mission emulates in so many factors/players that create the culture of Tzedaká: the employees, the volunteers, the different work sectors, and the communities affected.
Witnessing and participating in the dynamic relationship amongst all these factors has been an enriching learning experience.
The company has various sectors, and these are the ones I work for (with a brief description of my role in each):
Banco de Medicamentos
Volunteers help receive boxes full of medicine and equipment that were donated from health facilities (hospitals, pharmacies). The items are sample-sized, so volunteers worked to compact multiple samples into one package to create a larger quantity. We then donate those compacted medicines all over the country for people to have access to medicine for free.
Tzedék
Tzedék receives clothing, furniture, technological and kitchen appliances that people do not want in their homes anymore. We decide what to sell for cheap prices and the items we do not want we donate to other facilities. I worked with clothes, organizing them and taking pictures of them to advertise on their social media.
I have grasped the hang of things for Tzedaká
Apoyo a los Sobrevivientes del Holocausto
This program is all about making space for Holocaust survivors to escape the harsh memories of living in the Holocaust and enter a new period of friendship, peace, and safety. The program has many activities throughout the week: corus, community gatherings with entertainment and merienda, yoga, and a cooking workshop.
Taller de Tejido
This was a knitting group that gets together once a week to knit clothes for babies and their mothers. The clothes are then donated to hospitals, especially the Hospital de Maternidad for women in labor. All the knitting equipment is also donated to the group!
The employees have all been friendly with me. The dress code is very casual that I would infer that there really is no dress code to follow! The age group of the people I have worked with can range from mid-20’s to perhaps 60’s. In the Banco de Medicamentos it is quite noticeable that the volunteers are middle-aged— I really stand out jaja! They are all helpful nevertheless If I need anything. The tasks are pretty mundane—compacting medications into containers— but the people are friendly and chat about whatever to get through the day.
Helping the Holocaust survivors is my favorite activity I do for Tzedaká! The purpose of this center is to provide a transition for these survivors, one that leaves the past behind and enters a happier period
In general, the structure and flow of things is very relaxed in Tzedaká. It is very different from any company in the United States. I never feel like I have pressure to reach a certain goal by the end of the day, and I never feel like I am being watched or critiqued for any amount of effort I put in. I am worried that when I get back to the States and apply for a job to earn some spending cash, the transition back to my norms will be so abrupt and hard to go back to at first!