Lorena Yattah

Dear Friends:

After immigrating with my family to Israel from Argentina, at the age of 15 and a half without any money, I was sent to boarding school and began what I call, my financial survival.

I began at a young age to work in any legitimate field that I could find to pay my bills.

My teenage years up to my early 30s sped past, I married, I had children and began to lovingly raise them and I remained busy at surviving, studying and of course earning money.

At that time, I was busy with pleasing everyone in my life and lost myself along the way to anxiety and fear complicated by trying to manage my challenges with Xanax and sleeping pills.

When my third child was born, I decided the better plan was to spend more time with my children. So I quit my job and opened an in-house daycare, combining my love for children, my giving nature and my need to create income, all in one safe setting.

The satisfied parents convinced me to open a legitimate kindergarten, which slowly grew over time to occupy 48 children.

Even though it was my main source of income, my heart reminded me where I came from, so I started to give discounts and help parents and employees who were in need.

In order to increase the income and continue to help people in need, I decided to rent a new place for both my kindergarten and my house. I invested a lot of money in renovation and making this place one of the best kindergartens in the area.

A few months after we started to work in the new place, a neighbor complained about the noise, and the city council issued a closing order.

Panicked and devastated, I asked myself: how do I close the kindergarten created from greatest hope and desire? What do I say to the employees? The parents? What about the children?

The tension and struggle of having to close the kindergarten also brought on a deep divide in my marriage and resulted in a divorce.

I collapsed!

I consulted with my attorney who said there was no other way but to claim bankruptcy.

Today, I am in my 3rd year of bankruptcy and this period has been tough in many ways, but mainly because I am back to square one, with little to no money.

I feel a personal failure and the same an urge to survive and thrive, again.

Today, after the bankruptcy court a settlement for my debt has been minimized to an amount that I can return as a loan every month. However, an additional VAT fee of 100K in Shekels, which equates to approximately 25K US dollars, which was not included in the original settlement must to be paid immediately otherwise, charges will be pressed against me.

I feel so ashamed It’s not easy for me to write this post. The settlement with the additional VAT charge is not allowing me to make ends meet, yet again.

I am standing here in front of all of you who are generous enough to read this: admitting my failures and mistakes, and asking for help.

I have come such a long way. I realize that one of the biggest lessons in life is not to attempt to walk alone and to be more honest with myself and ask for help.

I am asking each of you for any $ amount of a gift you are able to send me to help me out of this deep hole. The gift will go straight to the massive debt and I will be in touch with each of you who donate to discuss what I can offer in return for your gift. No amount is too small.

I am thankful for any gifts. Please see my IBAN below.

I appreciate you taking the time to read this, your patience and the gifts of fiscal help.

With Gratitude,

Lorena