Chani turned for help to EFRAT when she became pregnant and felt alone and confused.
“I’d heard about the organization many times throughout the years,” she recalls, speaking from the EFRAT center in Jerusalem. “I was divorced, I was pregnant, and not in a relationship. I was very confused, very under pressure, not sure what to do. I needed some guidance, some help.”
When asked why she was considering having an abortion, she explains: “It's a very complicated situation emotionally and financially when there's no one there to support you. It's overwhelming, like you don't really know what to do. Sometimes it's the easiest is the solution you think about. Just let's not think of the problem because it's hard. You don't know how to cope with it.”
Remembering the day she decided to call EFRAT, Chani notes that right away she felt hope, that there was someone who understood what she was going through.
“I called them. We made a meeting and I felt that there's someone there that sees me, that understands me, that can help me and give me a feeling that things will work out,” she says. “It will be okay. I have to do the heavy lifting but they're by my side lifting with me. I’m not alone and if I’m worried, if I’m confused, if I have any problem – like any problem, literally I can call them. I can come here.”
Sometimes critics allege that EFRAT is out there convincing women not to go through with abortions. Was that her experience or was it more about EFRAT being supportive and being there for her?
“It wasn't about convincing at all,” Chani says. “In no way did I feel convinced. I just felt support, that this support will help me to come to the decision that I will make at the end.”
The decision she made to continue with her pregnancy came naturally.
“It was just like I was putting off something that I didn’t really want to do. So with their support I just came to a time in my pregnancy that it was like, okay, the decision is already behind me. That's it. I’m having this baby now.”
Chani recalls how the birth was “magical.”
“It was so good. Not only the physical part but that I got to that stage when i was emotionally calm. I wasn't worried. I was self-confident and I felt that I had people to support me in any way. I’m not alone and and I’ll get through it. And I did, I’m here now.”
She is telling her story because it is important for people to understand what EFRAT does for pregnant women in need.
“They support women emotionally, financially. They give you a reassuring feeling that they'll be there for you in any way you need in this situation,” Chani says.
When she looks at her child, she can’t help but think of this story and how EFRAT gave her so much support.
“I’m so thankful that they were there for me,” Chani says. “They say, ’It’s their baby as well.’”