Gaza Capital Appeal 2012 – 2014

Ghetto project gets Green Light!

In the Winter 2011 edition of Jerusalem Scene, we reported that we had taken possession of a plot of land in the University District of Gaza City, upon which the intention is to build a replacement Day Hospital and Clinic for Gaza.  

It is currently estimated that we will need to raise in excess of £1.68m ($2.66m) between now and 2014 in order to realise this much needed project.

An international fundraising campaign has already begun from our offices in Jerusalem and this will intensify in the near future.  Now, we would like to ask you, our Jerusalem Scene readers, to dig deep into your pockets and make any contribution you can towards this important appeal. 

It is the fundamental mission of the St. John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group to deliver eye care to all who need it in the Holy Land, regardless of their ability to pay.  The people of Gaza – more than any other – need our help! 

Despite a moderation in the blockade of Gaza in 2010, the ban on the import of construction materials remains in place.  The only materials formally sanctioned are for specific UN developments, such as schools.

Although unemployment has fallen, one out of every three is still without work and, in an October 2011 report, Coping with Conflict: Poverty and Inclusion in the West Bank and Gaza, The World Bank cited figures of 33.7% of the Gazan population living in poverty and 19.9% living in deep poverty. 

The report stated that the closure of Gaza has, “constrained growth, investment and consequently job creation that is essential for a young and highly educated population.”

Don’t forget that, in Gaza, 43.9% of the population is under the age of 14, while 92.4% is literate.  (CIA World Factbook, 2011).

Since opening in 1992, our clinic in Gaza City has been enormously important to us – as well as to the people of Gaza, where attendances in 2011 rose to over 22,000 for the first time. 

Though the clinic and its dedicated staff have struggled through some exceedingly demanding times, we have continued to see and treat patients.  Now, sadly, we are no longer the major provider of eye care in the Gaza Strip.  Other, better funded and better equipped units have eclipsed us.

This is no surprise.  Year on year, the contained and rapidly growing population of Gaza gives rise to increased numbers requiring services.  Currently, around 100 to 120 patients attend our clinic every day – this figure does not include relatives accompanying patients – and the current space is cramped and totally inadequate.

The appointment of new Gaza Clinic Director, Dr Kamal Okasha, in January 2011 transformed the previously run down clinic into a clean and vibrant department in which the staff were bursting with optimism for the future.  Indeed, for his outstanding work rehabilitating the clinic, Dr Okasha was presented with the Hospital Group’s Magauran Cup – awarded to the doctor within the Group who has contributed most to its medical services – in a ceremony held in the Jerusalem in September last year. 

Dr Okasha’s obviously adroit presence in Gaza only makes the need to expand and improve our medical and surgical service provision there all the more imperative. 

Our intention is to create a purpose-built day care facility that will re-establish St John as a major contributor to eye care in the Gaza Strip. 

In addition to securing the 700sq metre plot upon which to build, we already have much of the medical equipment that will be required.  This has been donated by the USAID/ Flagship project. 

We now have to raise the funding to proceed with this momentous and exciting capital project. 

As always, if you would like to make a donation towards the Gaza build, please do so here.  Any amount, no matter how great or small, will make a difference.  Thank you.