Friends & Partners
We work with friends and partners to give direct help bringing with us with donations of money, clothes and toys for needy families in Bethlehem, the West Bank, Israel and Jordan. We also support the following charitable institutions in Bethlehem, visiting them when we are on pilgrimage in the Holy Land:
The Salesians
The Salesians of Don Bosco, priests, brothers and sisters, today work in the Holy Land supporting the poor, particularly in the social, intellectual and spiritual formation of young people.
They run technical and professional schools and an artistic centre giving training in olive wood carving, mother of pearl and ceramics. The Salesian Youth Centre is one of the most popular places in Bethlehem for young people to gather every evening for sports, music, theatre and film. The Salesian bakery continues to provide bread for the poorest families for about £1 a month - currently 620 families collect their bread each day.
Institute "Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará"
The female branch of the Argentinian Religious Family of the Incarnate Word, also affectionately known as "The Blue Sisters". We support Mother Pia and the six sisters providing a home in Bethlehem for special children, abandoned, or in grave need called Hogar dos Ninos Dios (The God Child Home) for 29 children from babies upwards.
Some of the children are orphans, others have been abandoned and all are children permanently in special need. In the West Bank to be born with a severe disability places a huge financial burden on families as well as fear and shame that the child is a curse on the family. The Sisters provide a loving, happy home for the children and at the same time work unceasingly to change attitudes and encourage families to accept and love their children, whether they are healthy or sick, as a gift of God.
Visit the Blue Sisters website
Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation (BASR)
The Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation - this small but magnificent hospital was formerly a Leonard Cheshire Home.
It's ethos "Every Patient is first and foremost a Human Being" guides the holistic approach for everyone. It is a private hospital, supported by donations from all over the world, recognised as a centre of excellence in the Middle East. In addition to the hospital itself, the Society has day centres in refugee camps and villages around Bethlehem and schools for children with various kinds of disability. For further information see Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation.
Bethlehem University
The University of Bethlehem is a Catholic University founded in the 1960s and inspired by the prophetic vision of Pope Paul VI. The University is partly funded by the Vatican but is otherwise dependent on donations. It is a beacon of hope and excellence for Bethlehem, providing a tertiary education for Muslim and Christian alike. Many students have great difficulty finding the fees - even though they are heavily discounted - and donations can be designated to help provide bursaries for them. For further information see Bethlehem University.
Image: Make Hummus not walls