In May of '96 the first group of 10 Ethiopians arrived in Yotvata. The second group of 8, arrived 8 months later. Today there are 11 project members living on the kibbutz.

Each and every project member was accepted only after personal interviews and a group meeting where the goals of the project were explained and they were told about the kibbutz, with an emphasis on the way of life, the work, what to expect and what to prepare for. It was also explained that the kibbutz is not a religious kibbutz with no special kosher facilities.

Members of the project work a full week as well as studying , their studies funded by the project.

Once in the kibbutz the group works in the dairy, some as production machine operators and others in distribution. They receive a minimum wage at the beginning which is raised with experience and knowledge gained. All members of the project receive the same wages.

Members of the group started out living two to a room with basic houshold items supplied, but now each has their own room with common TV, computer etc.

The first few weeks were especially difficult because of the normal problems in acclimatizing to a completely new environment, socially and physically and the teething problems of the group getting to know each other. The work environment proved to cause relatively few problems although there were some difficulties due to the technical demands of some of the jobs.

Some members of the project have serious family problems and they have to cope with these in spite of the distance from home, something which increased the difficulties encountered at the beginning. Some give their wages to their families.

They fit in well with kibbutz members, although, at the beginning, they kept mostly to themselves. They developed relationships mainly with the young people in the kibbutz. In spite of the availability and the desire of many kibbutz families to "adopt" the group members for the period of their stay, this "adoption" wasn't particularly successful and only a few families managed to create a sustained family relationship.

Members of the group study various subjects - driving, computers, completing high school exams and others. Their studies are after work hours although consideration is given to their needs.

From time to time, the kibbutz organizes trips in the area and various meetings with different groups. During the Pesach holidays the kibbutz organized an evening where all the group members participated and each told the story of their arrival in Israel from Ethiopia. Danny Limor, a past Mossad operative, was a speaker. He was a key member of the team which organized and helped the Ethiopians travel to Israel and spoke of the difficulties and dangers encountered along the way.

There was a seminar in Kibbutz Tzora, organized by the project management, for all the projects members for the southern and central area. It was very successful and gave the group from Yotvata many reasons to feel proud of their achievements. The project management also organized various meetings with professionals to give the group members the chance to talk about their doubts and difficulties.

Ovadia Suleiman is the coordinator of the project in the kibbutz movement, bringing exprience and help to ensure the success of the project.

We have given members of the group the possibility of staying in the kibbutz for longer than the two years allotted for the project. They have the choice of staying on as salaried workers (only in the dairy) or going through the process of absorption and eventually becoming kibbutz members.