Air conditioner for Meira

Meira is raising two small children on her own; she is not in contact with either of their fathers, who pay no child support. Meira is also not in touch with her own parents and therefore receives no support from them either. To complicate her already tenuous financial situation, Meira had to leave her job as a sales clerk because her first pregnancy was high-risk. When her son, Yaniv, was born, it was immediately clear that he had special needs.

Yaniv was born with a cleft palate, which called for careful feeding from a special bottle. He required on-going medical treatment and several operations to repair his mouth and lip. As he grew, Meira discovered that Yaniv had hearing problems, and he was later diagnosed with autism as well. Yaniv cannot speak, and it is unclear if he understands what is said to him. He cannot feed or dress himself. He does not sleep well and often wakes with anxiety attacks; this affects Meira’s sleep as well, making it harder for her to function at her best during the day. Although Yaniv is now in daycare, he needs so much therapy and so many doctors’ appointments that it has been impossible for Meira to keep regular work hours. As a result, she has been unable to find a job.

Meira does her best to provide a stable life for Yaniv and his three-year-old sister. Her only income, however, is her social security payments and her government stipend for Yaniv. Although his needs have increased over the years, the money has not.

Meira and her children are about to move into a public housing apartment that has no air conditioning. Yaniv is extremely sensitive to heat and cold, and his behavior becomes even more difficult when he is uncomfortable. It will be impossible for them to live in their new home without a way to control the temperature. Unfortunately, with her budget already stretched to the limit, Meira has no way to buy the unit that they need.