Driving Lessons for Ayelet

The only thing holding Ayelet back from a dramatic salary increase is her lack of a driver’s license. Ayelet. 41, and Eitan, 42, live in a small community in the upper Galilee. Housing costs are low there, but even so, they can only manage a two-bedroom apartment; Ayelet and Eitan sleep in the living room. There are few services (like a doctor’s office) and no regular buses.

Ayelet and Eitan are both at the end of complicated divorces; between them they have six children ranging from eight to 18. Eitan can barely work because of the time that he needs to spend getting the children to and from school, doctors’ appointments, and the support visits that three of them need for ADHD and emotional issues.

Ayelet is the main wage earner for the family. In fact, she has had offers of more responsible and higher-salary jobs that she has not been able to accept because without being able to drive, she simply cannot get to them. With a better job, she could buy a car. A second car would make them all less reliant on Eitan, allowing him the time to work more hours, and thus contribute more to the family’s financial footing as well. Ayelet and Eitan are devoted to their children and are motivated to bringing the family out of poverty. Their next steps are clear, and only their lack of being able to fund Ayelet’s driving lessons is holding them back.