Executive Director’s message
Looking back, it has been a year of two halves. The new financial year started on 1st May 2023, when the charity started operating under its new CIO status. For the first five months it was business as normal, but on 7th October 2023 it became clear that this was no longer going to be a normal year.
After the Hamas attacks and Israel’s response, we were astounded by the magnitude of your generosity to help our fellow brothers and sisters in the Holy Land. We have been greatly encouraged by all your prayers and financial help that we can pass on to our team in the Holy Land.
Up to the end of September, our income was £220,000, but by the end of March 2024 our income had reached nearly £1.3 million! Whilst we were able to send some of this directly to where it was immediately needed, we were also aware that we need to take a more
considered view of how best to use the money to help people to sustain themselves over time. For that we needed the input of our Holy Land Committee. During my visit in May I was able to understand better how we could contribute to positive change in the lives of the Christian community.
All of the Friends of the Holy Land team would like to thank you for such a generous response and showing your loving care towards our fellow Christians in the Holy Land.
Together we are making a difference, one life at a time
Friends of the Holy Land year in numbers
10,718
Donations processed –of which around 20% were new donors
2400 Christians directly Assisted
35 Trusts and Foundations awarded grants
273 Parishes supported Friends of the Holy Land
96 Water tanks installed
6 Shallow wells dug
1* church talk a week around the country (*averaged just over)
We worked across all age groups in the Christian community, from birth to 92
Our impact
2023-2024 was marked by increased challenges for the Holy Land. Our work on the ground with individual Christians was vital, providing a helping hand and above all, hope. We funded projects in:
MEDICAL
AND AD-HOC SUPPORT – Immediate assistance for urgent needs
£121,000 for our monthly ad-hoc and medical requests. Our budget started the year at £6,000 per month but was swiftly doubled after the onset of war. This covers urgent medical cases and medications, funding a wide range of treatments from operations, investigations and tests through to asthma medication or buying dentures. We also help people with utility debts, rent arrears.
EMERGENCY
RESPONSE TO GAZA –Providing immediate relief
£144,000 to help relieve the situation in Gaza. We provided assistance to the communities sheltering at the Latin Church of the Holy Family and the Greek Orthodox Church of St Porphyrius as well as the Al-Ahli Hospital, run by the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
£43,000 for other community projects, including buying new sheep for the flock in Jordan to produce milk for the cheese project with Iraqi refugees; helping the Nazareth scouts with refurbishing their headquarters to make it habitable for children; and mentoring and business support for young people to help them gain employment.
SCHOOL OF JOY
£72,000 to run the school with 9 teachers and provide support to families, including transport to/from school. The number of children increased from 60 to 78 during the year.
FAMILY
SUPPORT –A helping hand
£119,000 for our families and elderly people who had been identified as needing regular income with no other way to support themselves.
EDUCATION
AND TRAINING –Investing in young people
£68,000 to provide education for young people. Provided school fee grants for children to attend Christian schools, university fees to train 4 young people in nursing at Bethlehem University, 10 vocational scholarships at the Bethlehem Salesian Technical College and 8 students in Hotel Management at the Episcopal Technological and Vocational Training Centre in Ramallah
WATER PROJECTS
£48,000 to replace old water tanks and solar panels with new ones, which will last approximately 20 years. We fitted 48 tanks in homes in Bethlehem and began our water project in Zababdeh to dig 6 new shallow wells.
ST MARTHA’S HOUSE
£52,000 for 30 elderly ladies. We provide our ladies with companionship, enrichment activities for a healthy mind and body, nutritional care and some health care services/check-ups.
“I have found a second family at St. Martha’s House” Margo, Bethlehem
Grants made 2023-2024
Other Community Support Education Water projects
St Martha’s House
School of Joy
Gaza Appeal
Medical & Other Ad Hoc Grants Family Support
Income by source 2023-2024
How your money has helped – Focus on education and employment
One of our aims is helping young people to develop economic stability to allow them to see a future for themselves in the Holy Land. Many young people are still unemployed a year after graduating from university. Our focus is on helping young people study in shortages subjects with genuine employment prospects.
We are sponsoring 4 students through their nursing degree. George has just started his third year of the four-year course. During his first year, George tried to hold down a part-time job in a bakery to help his family but after his grades dropped, he has focussed on his degree. George’s father has not been able to work for the last few years due to deteriorating eyesight and is now almost blind, his mother worked in the kitchen as an assistant chef in a restaurant until it closed after war broke out and there were no tourists. He has 1 older sister, also at university and 2 younger sisters at the Catholic Orthodox School in Bethlehem.
George says “I would like to thank you for the support you give me at university and because of that you encouraged me to study nursing with passion in order to guarantee my future and help my family.”
“Thank you for awarding me the Scholarship. Your generosity has made a profound impact on my life, and I am incredibly grateful for the financial support that will help me pursue my dreams. I promise to make the most of this opportunity and give back to others” Celine, student at the ETVTC , Ramallah
We are developing new initiatives in employment support and small business creation to help develop economic independence, removing reliance on tourism to bring in an income. We are increasing the number of students we support on vocational courses, investing in our young people. We continue to work on water projects, providing access to safe water storage for those who need it. We are putting in more support into East Jerusalem, an area that is often forgotten about. We have also increased the monthly ad-hoc support budget earlier this year to help with the growing need.
“I