Now, in Royal David's City

Now, in Royal David’s City Where care is unaffordable, let’s give the gift of life

www.friendsoftheholyland.org.uk/christmas

You can make an enormous difference to a family like Mary’s with a Christmas gift of £48 or whatever you can afford.

This Christmas in the Holy Land…

• There are mothers waiting to give birth in Bethlehem, wondering how they will afford their hospital stay.

Give the gift of life this Christmas

• There are believers in Nazareth needing urgent surgery that will destroy their family finances.

• There are Christians in Gaza who will stop taking medications they can no longer afford, risking their lives.

Not enough to live on The monthly minimum wage in the Palestinian Territories is supposed to be £320 per month, but in reality many are paid between £150-£220, even when working full time.

Very few are earning even this right now. Work for most Christian families in the Holy Land revolved around pilgrims and tourists. Their livelihood vanished with Covid-19.

40% As Bethlehem enters its second Christmas with very few visitors, almost 40% of families are buying groceries on credit or relying on food parcels. They have nothing to spare for a medical emergency… → Read Mary’s story inside

Mary’s pandemic pregnancy Mary, 32, earns a small wage looking after children at Rosary Sisters Nursery in Bethlehem. She and her family rent a cramped one-bedroom apartment with an extra bed in the kitchen.

“My husband Samer works at the Church of the Nativity, helping and guiding the tourists inside the church. But now the economic situation is very different because of Covid-19.”

Last Christmas, for the first time in their memory, the Church of the Nativity was practically empty. Just as Samer’s salary halved, Mary found out she was pregnant.

They worried about the costs to come during this tough time. But surely in nine months the pandemic would be all over?

2021 came, and as Bethlehem continued to be closed to travellers, Samer’s tourist income wasn’t recovering. Another empty Holy Week passed, and they began to fall behind on their rent, electricity bills and even got into debt for their food shopping.

With the due date approaching, Mary learned she would need to have a c-section to deliver her son. But a c-section at Shepherd’s Field Hospital costs upwards of £800, an enormous amount for a family in the red.

With no safety net, medical emergencies can cause huge, unpredictable financial shocks. And when it comes to giving birth, anything might happen. In October, when Mary’s time came, she had to have a caesarean section and a hernia operation at the same time, which cost £1,200 almost three times the family’s monthly income.

“It was not easy to undergo two operations at the same time. But thank God, God was with me and it went successfully.”

Your giving changes the ending Mary and baby Anton got out of hospital to hear good news. Thanks to donations from amazing supporters like you, Friends of the Holy Land were able to help with the costs of the operation and delivery, contributing £450 (over a third of the cost) to protect Mary and Samer from getting into further debt, and we’ll continue to support the family with any ongoing medical needs.

It’s a happy ending for Mary’s birth story and a much better start to life for little Anton.

“I really would like to thank Friends of the Holy Land for its moral and financial support and for helping me with my surgery fees. Thank you so much for your support.”

More families like Mary’s need your help this Christmas.

The costs of a Bethlehem birth today • £16 per check-up for mother or baby • £300 - £360 for a safe birth in hospital • £800 for a straightforward caesarean section • £Extra – additional days in hospital, neonatal care for premature babies, medications With little Christmas tourist income this year, these costs will plunge new parents into debt right at the start of their child’s new life. Let’s chip in to support them as a big Christian family.

Yvette’s prescriptions

Dentistry for Charbel

Yvette, an 88 year-old widow, is one of many Christians in the West Bank who needs to take medications every day to stay well. Yvette’s son used to help with her expenses but during the pandemic he has had to swap his job at a souvenir shop for much lower-paid work as a driver.

You might remember seven yearold Charbel who needed urgent nerve treatment for his teeth.

With his father out of work due to the pandemic, the surgery was unaffordable. Friends of the Holy Land were able to help thanks to generous supporters like you.

We contributed to the costs and Charbel had the operation in March. He’s now doing well and waiting for follow-up orthodontics treatment.

Yvette needs to take daily medication for heart and lung problems, high blood pressure and osteoporosis. Put together, these cost around £230 per month – an expense we never experience under the NHS. Your giving enables Friends of the Holy Land to help Yvette’s family out with these costs, keeping her happy, healthy and baking! We’d love to give that gift to lots more people this Christmas.

Charbel’s dad has found a new job as a doorkeeper, while his mum is now working as a kindergarten teacher, so things are looking up for this family. More Holy Land Christians are waiting for surgery – we can make it possible.

Ways to give • Give securely online - visit friendsoftheholyland.org.uk/christmas or scan the QR code below • Fill in and send back the response form with your card details or a cheque or charity voucher in the envelope provided • Make a transfer from your bank • Don’t forget to Gift Aid your donation if you can Thank you so much!

www.friendsoftheholyland.org.uk Registered Charity Number 1130054 01926 512980 | office@friendsoftheholyland.org.uk friendsoftheholyland friends_of_the_holy_land @Social_FHL