The army gives a soldier the floor and stops there. A gun. A helmet. A uniform, when there is one to give. On base it covers meals, paper goods, and Turkish coffee. Everything past that falls on the unit.

Start with the uniform. On our base no soldier owns more than one, and some own none at all. A man spends a day in Gaza heat under a vest and ceramic plates, comes back soaked through, and washes his only uniform in the sink at night. If the alarm sounds before it dries, he borrows one that does not fit. A proper tactical uniform, with a spare so one is always ready, is the first basic we are covering.

Then the rest of what makes months on a base livable. Fans for trailers that turn into ovens in the summer. Shade over the open ground by the tents. A fridge. Heaters for winter. Instant coffee. Cooking utensils. Laundry detergent, so men are not scrubbing their clothes in a sink after a full shift.

Back to the Basics covers that gap. Every donation buys what a base needs and the army does not provide, and it goes straight to the men using it.

We are here for 155 days. The hot summer months, the High Holidays, Succot, and more. These basics are what let them keep going.

Give what you can. If you want to know exactly what your donation buys before you give, reach out. aron@smilesforthekids.com or WhatsApp +972 55 500 1689.

Back to Basics

Some soldiers here own one uniform. Some own none. We cover the basics the army does not.