(left to right) LWF General Secretary Rev. Martin Junge and Rev. Mark Brown, LWF/DWS Middle East Program representative, talk with AVH pediatric nurse Shadja Nasser. © LWF/Thomas Ekelund
LWF–Run Hospital and Vocational Training Centers Reach Out to Palestinians
The Mount of Olives, a mountain ridge east of Jerusalem’s Old City in East Jerusalem, serves as the footing for the Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH) and the ultra modern medical services provided here.
Nadia is only five years old, but she is familiar with the corridors and staff at the AVH, a health institution run by The Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Her father does not want her picture taken or her real name used, but he willingly says that without the treatment Nadia gets at AVH, she would not be alive. Her kidney is not working properly, so she needs to come to the hospital three times a week for dialysis.
“The hospital bussing [bus transport] program helps us to assert the right to the treatment that Nadia so desperately needs,” he says.
No other hospital in the occupied Palestinian territories offers pediatric kidney dialysis. In addition, the AVH Cancer Care Center is the only radiation oncology facility operating in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza. Ear, nose and throat surgery, adult and pediatric kidney treatment, and pediatric oncology are a few examples of the specialized services available at the hospital, services that are not easily accessible or are unavailable in other hospitals in the occupied Palestinian territories.
A Beacon of Hope
When an LWF delegation comprising the President Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan and General Secretary Rev. Martin Junge visited the hospital on 29 September, Shadja Nasser was on the day shift as a nurse in the pediatric ward. The message that Junge conveyed to her and other staff was clear: “The Augusta Victoria Hospital is owned by the whole LWF communion. That means 143 member churches in 79 countries all over the world, representing more than 70 million Christians. The work of the hospital staff is a beacon of hope and what it represents for the entire communion cannot be overestimated,” he said.
The LWF general secretary stressed that the AVH plays a key role in defending the right of patients and humanitarian staff to access vital healthcare facilities in Jerusalem. It helps to promote and protect the right to human dignity, particularly in the face of checkpoints and walls that weigh heavily on the most vulnerable in society, he added. Today, the hospital and its village outreach program are crucial in the Holy Land.
The general secretary said that through donations and support of churches, organizations and individuals, AVH tries to ensure that anyone needing treatment at the health institution will be cared for. Most of the patients are referred to the hospital by the Palestinian Authority or the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine refugees.
The Augusta Victoria building was converted into a hospital for Palestinian refugees in 1948 and continues to serve Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. The LWF was registered as the owner in 1950 and has since been called upon to assist the UN in meeting the often overwhelming needs of the refugee population.
”The AVH is an embodiment of the LWF’s vision to be a communion in Christ, freed to work together for a just, peaceful and reconciled world. The medical services at the hospital are accessible to everyone needing them, regardless of race, religion, nationality, gender, or ability to pay,” Junge added.
Vocational Training Program
The LWF delegation also visited the LWF Vocational Training Center in Beit Hanina, north of Jerusalem, which since 1949, has been helping to empower young men and women. This year there are over 600 students taking advantage of the training provided at the centers in Beit Hanina and Ramallah and the short courses held in various locations in the West Bank. Training programs are offered in carpentry, auto-mechanics, metalwork, plumbing and heating, and electronics. The LWF is in the process of adding courses in handicrafts and catering.
Students at the centers come from Ramallah, Hebron, Nablus, and from towns and villages all over the West Bank. The program strives, as part of its Christian witness, to promote reconciliation and understanding among all people.
The unemployment rate among young people aged 18 to 24 is almost 40 percent. Despite these disappointing figures, recent surveys by the LWF’s vocational training program show that 75 to 80 percent of those graduating from the LWF-run centers are employed in areas related to their training.
Junge noted that the vocational training program serves as a witness of the crucial role of churches as part of civil society. He encouraged governmental agencies to recognize the importance of education as means of empowering young people as full citizens who help to build society. (793 words)
(Written for LWI by Thomas Ekelund in East Jerusalem)
