(Rivista Internazionale - December 1997: The Maternity Hospital of the Holy Family in Bethlehem - 3/3)

On the occasion of a board meeting last November in Bethlehem, the representatives of the Palestinian authorities, the churches and various international organisations, have spoken very highly of the hospital and have emphasised its significance for the region.
As a matter of fact it offers to the Palestinian women from Bethlehem and neighbourhood (110,000 inhabitants) and the region of Hebron (212,000 inhabitants) the only reachable possibility to give birth to their children under expert medical care. The death-rate of mothers is so far exceptionally high in this region (41 per 1,000). More or less the same applies to the death-rate of children (officially 22.6 per 1,000). Especially alarming is the situation in the three refugee camps Dheisheh, Aida and Azza.
After the closure of various neonatal establishments in the neighbourhood the hospital's new neonatal ward was therefore got more importance, also if this will entail an additional financial burden.

	Bethlehem. At work in the hospital complex of the "Holy Family" hospital.

Fortunately, it was possible to reduce the needs for subsidy per birth continously from at first 479 US$ to 207 US$ so that the total finance requirement has not grown substantially in spite of the constantly increasing performance figues.
Under the auspices of the Federal and Western Association, a fund-raising campaign was started in the USA a short time ago in order to set up an endowment fund for the hospital.
With its revenue it would be possible to cover in the future, substantial parts of the running finance requirements of the hospital. A success of this project could support substancially the further development of the hospital of the Holy Family.

Besides the development of the hospital as such it is worth to call special attention to the aspect of the Order's international co-operation for the hospital. A very trustful collaboration between the representatives of the various Associations has established itself in the Board of trustees.
By their great engagements they have succeeded in waken the interest of the members of their respective Associations. Besides the great importance of the French Association and thealready mentioned activities in Ireland and the USA, for instance the staff of the hospitals have organised a bicycle rally for fund raising purposes and have collected approximatof the German Association have organized a bicycle rally for fund raising purposes and have collected approx. 30,000 US$ for the hospital. Furthermore, since the hospital re-opening many nurses and midwives from various countries have volunteered and made a stage in the hospital. Thus, there are many signs which give hope that in the year 1999, our Order's 900 year jubilee, we will find on the occasion of pilgrimages to the Holy Land and the places of our start a flourishing Order's work.