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"In the midst of the dark nights of Gaza, this grant is a big moon shining to draw a huge smile on hundreds of children’s and women’s faces, those who have lost the hope of a better life out of the miserable conditions they are living under."
- Ms Suhaila Tarazi
Director of Ahli Arab Hospital, Gaza
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Harold C. Smith Foundation grant to Gaza's Ahli Arab Hospital will double access to free community clinic
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While the leaders of Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza rarely start the day with good news, one morning in mid-May was the exception for Ahli’s director, Suhaila Tarazi. She awoke to word that the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem (AFEDJ) was awarded a grant from the Harold C. Smith Foundation to enable the hospital’s free community clinic to expand from one day to two days each week to allow an additional 4,500 patients to be cared for over the next 12 months.
Ahli Arab Hospital operates in a region where the public healthcare system is nearing collapse. “We at Ahli Arab Hospital are grateful for the generosity of Harold C. Smith Foundation and the American Friends of Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. Through their support Ahli will continue to offer hope to the hopeless and continue working for reconciliation, peace, and justice in the Holy Land.”
The grant, which totals $468,572, will extend the access for assessment and treatment of underweight and malnourished children to an additional 400 children and offer care to 300 children with severe burns. By expanding the clinic to a second day, 650 more children and 300 caregivers will receive psychosocial support for trauma, and 800 additional women will be screened for early detection of breast cancer.
Despite this increased ability to serve the community, for these and additional services, the demand for free medical care far outstrips the capacity of the clinic to care for all the people who need treatment.
“Ahli supporters have responded with incredible generosity,” John Lent, executive director of AFEDJ, commented. “The Harold C. Smith Foundation grant will transform thousands of lives by extending access to free medical services for many families in the Beach and Jabalia refugee camps, which are home to some of the poorest neighborhoods in Gaza City. The Harold C. Smith Foundation grant amplifies the generosity of our individual and church supporters. Together we are helping Ahli Hospital offer ministries of healing in a region where it’s needed the most.”
He continued, “Considering the current conditions in Gaza and the pressures faced by Ahli leaders, it is no exaggeration to say that the generosity of Ahli Hospital donors and AFEDJ’s funding partners saves the lives of many incredibly vulnerable children and adults. There is no understating the importance of keeping the doors of Ahli open to all.”
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Schneller School in Jordan to pursue strategic planning grant
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The board of the Theodor Schneller School has voted to begin a strategic planning process. The school will work with AFEDJ to apply for a planning grant that will fund a comprehensive study and position the school for a bright future.
Schneller School serves 270 impoverished children in grades K-10, including a boarding program for 90 students, on its extensive campus in Marka, Jordan. The boarding students are orphans, children from broken homes, and refugee children. All of the day students reside in the Marka Palestinian refugee camp, adjacent to the school. These vulnerable children are welcomed, cared for, and provided a quality education.
AFEDJ Executive Director John Lent travels to Jordan next week to take part in three days of planning and discussion on the substance of the grant proposal and to strengthen our partnership with the school’s board, staff, and other funders. A strategic planning grant and subsequent development grants to support its implementation would allow Schneller School and its director, the Rev. Dr. Khalid Freij, to ensure a sustainable future for this school that serves a particularly vulnerable group of children and young people.
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Empowering mothers of children with disabilities at Princess Basma Center
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Thanks to AFEDJ Trustee, the Rev. Matthew Dayton-Welch, for taking time during his pilgrimage to interview Ms Sondos, a participant with her daughter in the Mother Empowerment Program at Princess Basma Center in East Jerusalem. A signature program of Princess Basma, this two- to three-week residential program provides children newly-diagnosed with a disability and their mothers with intensive, individualized early intervention and psychosocial support.
It costs $5,000 to provide this opportunity for one family. Learn more
here
or make a donation to support the Mother Empowerment Program on our safe, secure donation channel at
www.afedj.org
.
Thanks also to Princess Basma Center Programs Officer, Nisreen Manarius, for providing translation and the Rev. Nina Pooley of St. Bart's, Yarmouth, Maine, for lending her voice.
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Mark June 22 as a day to pray for the ministries of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem
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The Anglican Communion Cycle of Prayer marks Saturday, June 22, as the day to pray for the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. Join people from across the world in remembering our Christian sisters and brothers in the Holy Land and the ministries they engage in.
Download a bulletin insert or flyer (click on the photo at left or the links below) to share with members of your congregation on June 16 or 23.
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In Maine this summer? Join American Friends and Bishop Thomas Brown in Brunswick on August 1
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Friends, pilgrims, and supporters are invited to gather for the first-ever AFEDJ event in Maine on Thursday, August 1, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Brunswick.
Join the newly-consecrated Bishop of Maine, Thomas Brown, who has led several pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and the Rev. Tom Mousin, who will lead a pilgrimage in January 2020.
AFEDJ Executive Director John Lent will offer a presentation about current conditions in the region and share insights from his recent visits to the ministries AFEDJ supports across the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.
Join us for Middle Eastern food, fellowship, and a chance to learn more about the work of American Friends and our partners in the Diocese of Jerusalem.
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Transforming lives of the vulnerable and displaced
in the Middle East through support of schools, hospitals,
and centers for children with disabilities
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AFEDJ offers a safe, secure channel to make gifts to support the work of the humanitarian institutions of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.
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American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem | 203-655-3575
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www.afedj.org
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