Children learning in an Ofanim lab.

In a poor neighborhood in Israel, at the age of 12, Haim Dahan, the founder of Ofanim, sat in front of a computer for the first time. It was 1973, and the Yom Kippur War had just ended. Life was hard — Haim, one of 10 children, lived in a community where opportunities were few and far between. But one day, Dr. Bergman, an American professor of computer science, happened to visit Dahan’s home, connected with Dahan and changed his life. Bergman provided Dahan with six private lessons in computer science. Those lessons planted a seed that transformed his future.

“That experience made me realize that I wanted to study computers,” Dahan recalled. “I was the first of my siblings to graduate university.” Dahan received his B.A. and M.A. at Ben Gurion University. He then traveled to America to receive his Ph.D. He spent 14 years in America, during which he started a successful software company.

Student conducting an experiment.

“When you have even a small key experience, it can make you believe in yourself and lead you to fulfill your potential,” reflected Dahan.

Dahan felt that when he returned to Israel, he had the responsibility to pass the torch and do for others what Professor Bergman had done for him. Now at the helm of Ofanim, the nonprofit he founded to help kids like his younger self, Dahan looked back on that pivotal moment as the seed for what he hopes will become a nationwide movement. “My own experience proves one point: the potential exists in every socioeconomic group. Ofanim is giving that educational opportunity to kids from poor communities that aren’t given the opportunities.”

Building Dreams on Wheels

Ofanim is not your average education program. It doesn’t rely on brick-and-mortar schools. Instead, it takes learning directly to the student — on wheels.

The organization retrofits buses into mobile high-tech STEM labs, visiting schools weekly and moving from one community to another. It started in the Negev 21 years ago, and after several years, added underprivileged communities in the north. “It’s a unique model,” said Risa Kelemer, Ofanim’s director of development in North America. “Its goal is to be disruptive — to get the kids out of their classrooms and into these buses and do hands-on learning.”

“When you live in a small town or village, the opportunities feel a million miles away,” Dahan explained. “We decided, if kids can’t reach those opportunities we’ll bring the opportunities to them.”

“We built balloon-powered cars and worked with magnets,” exclaimed 9-year-old Peleg Gorali, a student from Moshav Yesha. “It’s more fun than regular science class. In regular class, we just look.”

Students working on experiments in STEM.

A Program That Changes Lives

Over the past 21 years, Ofanim has reached more than 55,000 students in Israel’s peripheral northern and southern regions, areas neglected by mainstream educational initiatives.

Small groups of children, just 18-20 per session, board the brightly colored buses once a week to explore robotics, software programming, 3D printing, computer animation, and more. The organization prioritizes early intervention, targeting kids from grades three-nine, knowing that critical decisions about academic tracks are made by the eighth grade. The academic tracks in high school affect their matriculation exams and opportunities to continue in universities. The results shown by professional surveys are stunning:

Ofanim students are three times more likely to achieve top level scores in STEM matriculation exams compared to their peers in similar communities.

In a partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Education, 80% of middle school students from Ofanim programs have gone on to join advanced STEM tracks in high school.

Children in an Ofanim lab.

But numbers don’t tell the whole story.

Kelemer shared that at the end of the school year in Tveria, in a school called Noam Banim, the instructors handed out certificates of completion in a graduation ceremony. “One of the fifth grade boys broke down in tears,” said Kelemer. “When his instructor asked why, he answered, ‘Nobody ever told me I was מצטיין — excelling at anything before.’”

When the World Shakes, Wheels Keep Turning

Last year, when the Iron Swords War broke out, Ofanim faced an unexpected challenge: many of the children it served were displaced, living in hotels or temporary shelters. Instead of pausing operations, the organization quickly adapted. Ofanim’s buses relocated to the hotels where the communities were staying, providing children with a sense of normalcy and a safe outlet for their creativity.

“Other organizations came and went, but we stayed,” said Leora Propper, Ofanim’s board chairwoman. “Our instructors returned consistently, week after week, helping children process the trauma and keep their curiosity alive.” Eventually, as some communities were able to return home, Ofanim returned with them.

Creating Role Models From Within

Ofanim employs university students and graduates, many who come from the same communities they serve, as instructors. These young educators undergo 100 hours of training annually in both teaching techniques and STEM skills. “It’s a real commitment for them and for us,” said Propper. “We want strong relationships with our instructors. We don’t want them coming in and leaving after a year. So, we invest in them and they invest in us. This way, their relationship lasts longer with the children. This engagement is the most important aspect of the program — for the children to connect with people who create trust and show that they believe in them.”

“The instructors aren’t just teachers,” Dahan noted. “They’re role models. They show these kids ‘You can be like me. Look where I am now.’”

The program also takes students on field trips to prestigious universities like the Technion, where they walk the halls and can imagine futures there.

“It changes the mindset of the child,” Dahan said. “When I was a boy, I used to ride the bus to my school every day and pass Ben Gurion University. I would look at it as if it were Olympus — only for special people. Professor Bergman invited me once to visit. When I walked through the gates and saw the people there, I thought, ‘They are not so different from me! I can be like them. I can belong here too.’”

What’s Next?

Despite its success in the last 21 years, with over 55,000 graduates from 26 communities, Ofanim has the capacity to do more. With additional funding, it could double the number of children it serves each year. “The infrastructure is ready,” Propper said. “We just need the resources. We have the capacity to grow and affect so many more children. And our board believes that this is the way to take Israel forward — to have more contributing citizens in Israel.”

Two-thirds of the nonprofit’s funding comes from Israeli donors with the remaining third raised internationally. Dahan sees this as a point of pride, emphasizing that Israelis are taking ownership of the country’s future.

“This shows that we Israelis care about our own backyard,” said Dahan. “Our skin is in this game. The role of Ofanim is more relevant than ever. We can’t afford to lose a single child. Israel has been known for many years now as a start-up nation, but the other side of the coin is the people that are left behind.”

To learn more, or to donate, visit www.friendsofofanim.org.