Dear friends, Giving hope to the people of Middle East

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1 Dear friends, Caritas Jerusalem was honoured to host friends from Spain and Poland. We were also honoured to participate in a meeting in Rome hosted by Caritas Internationalis. It was a privilege for us to meet colleagues, partners and friends from all over the world and discuss the crises in the Middle East in general and the Gaza strip in particular. Exchanging cultures, ideas, tradition is very important for the youth for they can act as a bridge between cultures and serve as key agents in promoting peace and intercultural understanding. Caritas Jerusalem is always ready to cooperate and coordinate with partners who are interested in giving the people of the Holy Land a helping hand. Fr. Raed Abusahlia General Director Caritas Jerusalem Giving hope to the people of Middle East Caritas Internationalis conference September-Rome Caritas Internationalis invited other Caritas organizations to Rome to discuss a coordinated regional and global response to the crises in the Middle East. Caritas Internationalis Secretary General Michel Roy said, Our duty is to give hope to communities in the Middle East. As well as providing aid, Caritas organisations will work at a national, regional and international level to call for a Middle East open to all faiths, where human dignity and rights are respected, and everyone has the freedom to live in peace with their neighbours.

2 Keynote speaker, former government minister Damianos Kattar from Lebanon explained that the needs are so overwhelming that meeting them will be impossible. In Syria alone, if the war stopped today, it would cost more than a $100 billion and years to rebuild the country. Extremists in Iraq and Syria are carrying out widespread ethnic and religious cleansing in the large areas under their control. Palestinians are living in an open prison in Gaza and are denied their dignity, land and rights in the occupied territories. Delegates heard from Bishop Shlemon Warduni, President of Caritas Iraq, Caritas Jerusalem Director Fr. Raed Abusahliah, Bishop Antoine Audo, President of Caritas Syria and from representatives in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Voices from the region predicted the humanitarian crisis in Syria and Iraq will get worse in the immediate future as conflict escalates, fuelled by weapons from foreign governments. The collapse of millennia old pluralist communities was highlighted. Life and death are at stake, said Bishop Shlemon Warduni of Iraqi, urging for the human rights and freedoms of all peoples be protected. Christians in the Holy Land live under the shadow of Christ on the Cross, a symbol of suffering in the Middle East, said Fr. Raed Abusahliah, who went on to say the exodus of Christians from their homelands will be a tragedy for all faiths in the region and for the world. Msgr Walduni of Caritas Iraq: We want the freedom to practise our religion. We want our human rights. We pray to Christ on the cross to deliver us. As well as the persecution of minorities such as Christians and Yazidis, a key concern was the occupation of Palestinian territories and the blockade of Gaza. Faced with the scale of the crisis, Caritas organisations say they must build more resilient communities through interfaith reconciliation and community empowerment. Caritas delegates agreed on a longterm work plan that will focus on interreligious cooperation, community peacebuilding, strengthening national Caritas organisations and working more closely with Church and other faith-based groups. Archbishop Youssef Soueif, President of Caritas Cyprus and board member of Caritas Internationalis said, This forum will help us to strengthen our humanitarian aid, to do more to advocate for the dignity of all human beings and to promote peace and reconciliation based on the Christian message of love for your neighbour.

3 At the Representative Office of Palestine in Rome, Italy The key to world peace, he concluded is peace in the Holy Land. When we have peace in Palestine, we will have peace on earth. The meeting has come to its conclusion by an interview with the local media and reception in the embassy s garden. Rome, 18 November Fr. Raed Abusahlia the general director of Caritas Jerusalem was invited to the Palestinian embassy in Rome to talk about the situation in Palestine and the Christian presence in the Holy Land. Empower women End poverty and hunger Many personalities attended the lecture, among them the ambassador H.E. Ms. Mai Al Kaila, Fr. Humam Khazouz Fr. Aktham Hijazeen and most reverend Excellency Mons. Hilarion Capucci. I am proud of taking this course and being able to help my family and at the same time revive the Palestinian heritage stated Janet one of the beneficiaries. Throughout all of his presentation Fr. Raed Abusahlia was exciting and inspiring. He talked about the injustices and explained his coping strategies by helping Palestinians in practical ways. In 2013 Caritas Jerusalem started a program for the economic empowerment of women (in line with the millennium development goals) in East Jerusalem, Ramallah and Bethlehem which enabled us to train 80 women in embroidery, beauty therapy and office management through different centers.

4 On the first of September 2014, representatives from Caritas Poland visited Caritas Jerusalem to evaluate the project. Marta the supervisor and Rafal the project coordination accompanied by Mrs. Mervat Naber the head of social services department visited the centers in order to monitor and evaluate the work on the ground. These projects are essential for women in Palestine and we need to figure out how to start establishing small enterprises Says Mr. Rafal the project coordinator of Caritas Poland. Moreover, they had a short meeting with the director of the Women s Child Care Society in Beit Jala Mrs. Salwa Raba`, explaining more about the work of the society, it is very important to educate and empower women, as when you educate a woman, she can educate a whole family said Mrs. Raba`. The visit continued to other centers where they met with directors, students and beneficiaries. I am very pleased to know that Palestine has several centers which give the opportunity for women to have new professional skills and help them to be financially independent. Stated Ms. Marta the supervisor of Caritas Poland. The visit came into its conclusion by attending the graduation ceremony of office management training at the YWCA in East Jerusalem.

5 Guiding Children to a Better Life Let the Children Play and Heal The war in Gaza has left 400,000 little children suffering from psychological traumas, fear and distress. It was very cruel which disregarded the natural world and human life. Our aim is to relieve the children of Gaza and reduce the emotional pain through healthy activities Said Maha Al Omari Caritas Jerusalem Social worker included playing, relaxation exercises, dancing and drawing. I am afraid to sleep and wake up to the booming sounds of explosions. Said Sami -the ten year old child These activities helped the innocent children to feel safe, secure, and restore their self confidence. Caritas Jerusalem feels obligated to strengthen these unfortunate children and give them hope for a better tomorrow. On the 30 th of August 2014, Caritas Jerusalem implemented psychosocial activities with 65 children in Al Sawarha Area in Gaza. These activities Caritas Jerusalem s social workers provided psychosocial sessions, orientation, and individual counseling. The day came into its conclusion by distributing colors and coloring booklets to the children.

6 Exchanging cultures between Palestine and Spain Bringing People Together The purpose of the visit was to get acquainted with the Palestinian youth, culture and life in general and also to exchange ideas with Caritas Jerusalem Palestinian youth groups. From the 17 th of July to the 3 rd of August 2014 a group of ten young men and women from Spain led by Beatriz Seara, responsible for the projects in the Middle East visited Palestine to participate in summer activities, exchange cultures and experience with their counterparts in Bethlehem Area. This summer camp was the second of its kind where the youth were engaged in different community works and experienced the authentic Palestinian daily life by residing with individual families in Beit Jala. Upon their arrival, the youth had an orientation session with Caritas Jerusalem s youth coordinators Mr. Tony Abdo and Mr. Kassam Maaddi. They were introduced to the challenges facing the youth in Palestine and the Palestinian sensitive culture issues to prevent misunderstandings while living with Palestinian families in Beit Jala.

7 The two week visit was full of cultural activities and workshops. We took our Spanish guests to visit many historical and religious sites around Palestine, such as the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, the Nativity Church in Bethlehem, and the Aida refugee camp. Besides, they planted some trees and painted on the separation wall. They also visited Ramallah and implemented workshops with the Palestinian youth in order to build bridges between different countries and cultures. Stated Mr. Tony Abdo How can you help? Support our activities Your support is essential to provide long-term assistance to our beneficiaries. Please see below our bank details to make a donation: Bank Name: Arab Bank Swift Code: ARABPS Account number: /0/510 USD Credit Account: Caritas Jerusalem Branch No: 9110 At Arab Bank in Al-Ram P.O.Box: 2445-Al-Ram Jerusalem Caritas Jerusalem s volunteers programme started in 2005 with the objective of preparing young people to play an active role in an independent and democratic Palestine. We encourage the youth to become leaders of their community, driven by the spirit of social justice and tolerance. We also give them tools for succeeding in their professional life in a difficult economic environment.