As the pandemic crisis persists, Archbishop Dawani asks for your help

A friend loves at all times, and
a brother is born for a time of adversity.
Proverbs 17:17

Last year on this date I was visiting the Diocese of Jerusalem schools and hospitals you so generously support. No one knew what lay ahead in 2020. None of our friends in Palestine, Israel, Jordan and Lebanon could have imagined that a year later their economies would still be devastated, they’d still be experiencing lockdowns, and some of their ministries would be on the brink of financial ruin.

I want to share with you part of a letter I received from Archbishop Suheil Dawani recently.

He wrote:

We appreciate our American Friends’ contributions during this continuing time of hardship from the pandemic, when there are so many needs in many different areas of ministry. The good news is that Israel has been very aggressive in its vaccination program. The bad news is that unfortunately this policy has not extended to the West Bank or Gaza, and so many there will continue to be at-risk for some time. The other countries in our Diocese, out of poverty, have also not been as quick to administer the vaccine, and so their situation is similar. 

We will continue to face many challenges this year from this ongoing crisis. We are working hard to keep all of our institutions functioning as best as possible, but the economic situation remains difficult. We hope our American Friends will continue to help us in this emergency.

Without a fully vaccinated population, the financial circumstances of the vulnerable people across the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, and Lebanon will continue to erode. 

This means that schools in Jordan – Holy Land Institute for the Deaf, Saviour’s School and Schneller School, St. Luke’s Hospital in Nablus, Ahli Hospital in Gaza, the Vocational Training Center and the Arab Evangelical School in Ramallah, St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Center in Beirut, and Jerusalem Princess Basma Centre face another year of financial uncertainty and struggle just as the people they serve need them most. 

We’re asking you to step forward again to support the Archbishop and his team in their work to sustain the Christian witness of each of these fragile institutions. We’re asking for your support of the Archbishop’s 2021 COVID Relief and Recovery Fund.

These institutions have always operated on tight budgets and done so much good with very little. But with economic recovery still many months away, the ability of these schools and hospitals to pay staff and stay open is being challenged as never before. There’s a very real chance that some of them might not survive the pandemic.

Your gift will keep teachers, doctors, nurses and therapists employed. Your generosity will ensure that refugees and orphans have a safe, nurturing home. Your caring will provide deaf and deaf blind children, and children with many different disabilities, the expert, loving therapy and education they need to lead productive lives. 

Last year you astonished us and your friends in the Holy Land with your generosity. During this perilous time, you opened your hearts to support our Christian mission in the Diocese of Jerusalem at a level we’ve never seen before. You helped the hospitals prepare for the coronavirus and you supported relief and recovery from the destructive explosion in Beirut. Thank you for this outpouring of love for our sisters and brothers in the Middle East. You are a true American Friend to those in need in the Holy Land, and we are deeply grateful for your extraordinary support.

Please make a gift today to the Archbishop’s 2021 COVID Relief and Recovery Fund. Your generosity and caring will make sure these humanitarian institutions continue to welcome and serve everyone who needs and seeks their help. 

Gratefully,

John Lent
AFEDJ Executive Director