Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Rationale
My last two appeals have been for aid for migrants coming into Italy and Greece. They related to work in our own diocese. This appeal, by contrast, is for the education of Palestinian children in the Holy Land. It relates to our neighbouring diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East. Education is of vital importance in attempts to secure a peaceful future for the Middle East. Education makes it easier for youngsters to stay in their home countries rather than embarking on the refugee trail. And tangible help for Middle Eastern Christians expresses our solidarity with a community whose numbers have fallen from 20% to 2% of the land’s total population in the last 60 years.
The appeal
So this year’s appeal supports the Arab Evangelical Episcopal School in Ramallah in the West Bank. It will help the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem in the distribution of bursaries to needy students at the school.
The Arab Evangelical Episcopal School in Ramallah
The school is situated in the fertile area of Ramallah, 10 miles north of Jerusalem. It is co-educ
ational with around 650 children from kindergarten to twelfth grade. The school believes that fulfilling its Christian mission comes through serving the Palestinian community, Muslim and Christian regardless of reli
gion, race, gender, and socio-economic status. It aims to develop the “whole person” of the student. It seeks to educate young Palestinians to become active citizens who will participate in developing a humanistic and democratic society, enhancing the religious and national heritage in Palestine, and promoting mutual understanding and tolerance. As a Christian private school, it has much to offer to the whole community and is considered one of the best schools in the area
In spite of difficult political and economic conditions, the school has maintained its academic and humanitarian mission. Academically the school fulfils the highest standards in the Standard High School Examinations. It supports students with special needs, learning disabilities, behavioural disturbances and social and psychological problems. It fosters activities which enhance students’ character, such as dance, drama and the arts. In sports the school’s teams win many of the sports’ tournaments offered by the Ministry of Education. Three members of its girls’ football team were selected for the Palestinian national girls team.
Tuition fees for students average at around $2,000 per annum, depending on grade. The families of many students do not have such means and so rely on bursaries. Our appeal will assist the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem, under whose supervision the school operates, to provide bursaries for needy students at the school.
Funding Mechanism
As usual, you can give money to this appeal through your church treasurer, who will forward money to the diocesan office.
We are channelling funds though Friends of the Holy Land. www.friendsoftheholyland.org.uk. FHL is a joint Anglican-Roman Catholic organisation founded in 2009 to raise awareness of the situation of Christians in Israel/Palestine. Its patrons include the Archbishop of Canterbury and the RC Archbishop of Westminster. FHL was will pass the money you give to the Jerusalem diocese for the benefit of the school.
Please do consider how you can support my appeal. I wish you a holy and spiritually fulfilling Lent.
With every blessing,
+Robert Gibraltar in Europe