The school uniform 2011

The school uniform 2011 paid by Italian benefactors.

In June at the end of the school year I write up a report of our activities for the year. We continue to feed the children one meal daily in the five pre-schools in three different regions of the Strip. In October each child has received a blood test and a physical which will be repeated after some months. We hope that this will show that their balanced meal in school will show that they are healthier. El Omri of Germany has been our sponsors for these preschools for over ten years now. They also provide for the repairs and materials needed for the schools. This September we were able to fund four of the five schools with uniforms for each child. One school already had uniforms. The uniforms are made locally which help the local industries.

Visit to Gaza September 2011

Due to generous benefactors these last two years we have moved into serving the sick. Last year we were able to assist 152 men, women and children with: medicines, various therapies, transportation cost to have surgery abroad, and orthopedic equipment. Dr. Amena has joined our group in Gaza who helps us assess who are in greater need when it comes to medical aid monthly. Her knowledge and connections there help the sick receive benefits from other medical NGOs in their region.

Pictures of latest visit in september 2011.

Musaddar classrooms

Italian benefactors, friends of Andres and Lorenzo, have been for three years now providing glasses for the poor children in our five nursery schools and for some needy adults. Some fine doctors visit the schools and volunteer their time to examine the children.

Diapers are a burden for families caring for a disabled adult or child. Monthly money to cover this expense is provided for about ten individuals.

We continue to meet monthly as a team to asses our programs and to plan for the future. We have lost Fr. Don More sj due to health issues as he had to return to the states. We miss his humor and good judgment. He was very faithful in his visits to Gaza. Don is truly missed.

Pictures of classes under construction in Musaddar.

July 2011 Visit

Pictures of our visit in july 2011

Schools - may 2011 visit

Pictures of ours schools - May 2011

Christmas in Gaza 2010

Videocustodiae

His Beatitude, Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem went to Gaza on Wednesday, December 22nd, to visit the small Catholic community and celebrate Christmas a few days in advance.

A full delegation from the Latin Patriarchate, crossed the walls surrounding the Gaza Strip, to meet with the Christian community and celebrate the Christmas Mass.

November visit on All Souls Day

(The French translation below) Two families griped our hearts. They are both in Gaza City and each has a unique story. A handsome boy of ten, I will name him, Ahmad, with a slow but nice smile met us on our arrival to their home. We have visited many homes and very poor ones. This one was no different as this family of eight lived on the third floor of a building needing basic repairs.

Ahmad was playing in a local center for children, a club, where they could play afternoon after school when a shell entered the building landing beside him, which caused a fire. He was burned in the stomach and thy. It is two years since this tragic event, Ahmad has received treatment for his burns yet need a specially treated garment to cover the burns to enable the skin to heal. This garment must come from Germany and will be applied to the damaged areas.

Visit to Gaza October 12 And 13, 2010

Fr. Thomas and I, Sister Susan, made good time arriving and entering. Sabah was there to meet us and we headed south to Magasse and Musaddar. It was great to see the children busy with their letter or numbers in these two village nursery schools. While there we saw each school serve the meal. Some schools have fewer children than last May and other have more. Hopefully you will have the pictures we took while visiting.

Some new events in the Strip are that the farmers are now able to export some products via the tunnels. Eggs and chickens are now cheaper in Gaza than in Egypt. Seven individuals were helped this month with surgeries or medications. Doctors will be examinating the children in our schools to see who needs glasses. They will be receiving free glasses as did the 46 children who received them last year.

Gaza: the parish of hope

by Andrea Bergamini
They are few, isolated because of the embargo and caught up in the society’s islamization carried forward by Hamas. But Catholic people are anyway a lively community, a sign of peace

We have heard it talked about many times because of its drama. But there could also be another point of view from which to look at Gaza: the one from the Holy Family Parish, the only Latin community in the Strip. An uneasy presence which is somehow the whole Middle East’s icon at the centre of the Synod which will be held in Rome this month. Andrea Bergamini, a religious of the Families of Visitation, reports.

Visit 21th of September 2010

Br. Joe, Br, Andres and sr. Susan went to Gaza for our first fall visit. It was a blistering hot day. Yet our welcome was a nice relief from the heat and cold drinks accompanied us as we visited three schools and one women's center. Sabah met us at the boarder as usual and we visited the Al Arabia School where the children were hard at work. Due to the end of Ramadan being in the middle of the month the schools began only last week. The children of this School had no uniforms as this area is very poor. So far 120 had registered and more were expected.