I. The objectives of our assistance in the Holy Land

     1. The objectives of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher are as well spiritual as material. They are clearly defined in the introduction page of our website. Both our collective and individual work take their inspiration and their force from the evangelic message that each of us try to follow.

     2. Practically, financial and material funding that 50 existing Lieutenancies are able to rise, are primarily allocated to two destinations:
- An important part of these resources are given to the “Grand Magister” in order to enable him to assist the Holy Land in a coherent and useful way.
- Supplementary funds of which each Lieutenancy disposes, are then freely applied to selected activities.

II. The direct aid of the Grand Magister to the Holy Land

     1. The aid of the Grand Magister to the Holy Land , who comprises territories on the two riversides of the Jordan , ( Jordan , Palestine , Israel ) serves to sustain:
· - The Latin Patriarchate (The Patriarch, three auxiliaries, 81 clergymen, 120 Sisters)
· - The Patriarchal Seminar of Beit Jala for the formation of the clergymen from the diocese;
· - 43 schools with more then 15.000 pupils, of which about 20% are Muslims;
· - Numerous social and cultural projects

     2. The contributions the Belgian Lieutenancy has made to the Grand Magister amounts to some forty to fifty thousand Euros per yearwere:

III. The specific actions of the Belgian Lieutenancy

     With supplementary funds that she arrives to assemble, the Belgian Lieutenancy has helped the Holy Land in two ways.
- She has been able to construct several buildings, in her quality of  Non Governmental Organisation
- She made several specific other actions of particular assistance.

     1. Projects co-financed by the Belgian Government (A.G.C.D).

     During several years, our Lieutenancy has been recognized by the State as a Non Governmental Organization. In this quality she has been able to construct several buildings thanks to an important complementary financing from the State:

     2. Individual projects of the Lieutenancy of Belgium

MADABA (Jordan) Professional mechanical and electronic school. The buildings have been constructed thanks to a complementary financing of the AGCD (see above) Since its start, the Lieutenancy has contributed to the working expenses for an amount of 1,600.000 FB a year.
ADER (Jordan) Kindergarten and primary school, new Church. The buildings were built thanks to an additional financing of the AGCD (see above). Since then, we have invested 4.500.000 BeF in this lively Christian community The kindergarten counts 100 pupils and the primary school 200.
AMMAN ( Jordan ) Center for Handicapped Regina Pacis One of our Knights has been able to supply all the base medical equipment of this important center created by Monseigneur Sayegh, auxiliary Bischop of the Patriarchate.
ANJARA (Jordan) Kindergarten and primary school The Lieutenancy has already provided 20.000 $ for the renovation of the school and she has promised a supplementary 15.000 $ for 2004 Kindergarten: 30 pupils; Primary school: 90 The Christian community of Anjara is very active.
HOSSOM (Jordan) Kindergartens, primary and professional schools and a health Center The constructions were built thanks to an additional financing of the AGCD (see above) Those schools have 600 Christian and 200 Moslems pupils. There are 45 teachers. Hossom is of Christian origin and 35% of the population is still Christian We have since financed the purchase of books, medicaments and 5 Pentium4 computers, because the State imposes one PC per 10 pupils!
SALT (Jordan) Small Kindergarten Lodges 48 childish between 4 and 5 years The Buildings were constructed thanks to an additional financing of the AGCD (see above)
BETHLEHEM ( Israel ) Crib of the Holy Family and social Center The crib receives on average hundred orphans or abandoned children up to 6 years old. The buildings have suffered severe damages following Israeli bombardments Since 1997, the aid from the Belgian Lieutenancy has amounted to 58.661 $
BETHLEHEM ( Israel ) Carmel of the Child Jesus Convent counting 10 Carmelites. Since 1997, the aide from the Belgian Lieutenancy has amounted to: 3.822 $
ABU DIS ( Israel ) Home “Notre Dame des douleurs” This Home receives olds people from the occupied territories. Since 2002, the aide from the Belgian Lieutenancy has amounted to 10.000 $. We have also provided rolling chairs. In october 2004, one of our confraters donated 12.500 € o the      "Home of Peace".
BETHANIE ( Israel ) House of Saint Vincent , Orphanage Lodges 38 boys and girls from 6 to 12 years old The creation of the wall causes them a lot of problems Since 1997, the aid from the Belgian Lieutenancy has amounted to 65.131 $
JERUSALEM (Israël) Home of Peace Receives 36 girls from 6 to 12 years old Since 1997, the aide from the Belgian Lieutenancy has amounted to 12.543 $
BEIT JALA Seminar of the Latin Patriarchal Counts 22 seminarists Since 1999 the aid from the Belgian Lieutenancy has amounted to 5.000 $

      3.Pilgrimages and work groups

     Each year, about thirty people, of whom most are members of the Order go on pilgrimage in the Holy Land ; They create warm and durable ties with those who dedicate their lives helping the poor as well as with our brothers and sisters of Palestine .
     It acts as a mutual sharing and is often a incomparable way of deepening our Faith.

     Regularly, several members of the Order pay working visits to Palestine . This, in order to better measure the local needs and control the good usage of the financial aid of the Belgian Lieutenancy. They also examine with the local managers future development opportunities.

The Belgian Foundation for the Holy Land will honor with gratitude
all gift to the profit of his realizations;
our account number is: 630-0122895-55

 
REPORT OF THE GRAND MAGISTERIUM
ON THE AID OF THE ORFER IN THE HOLY LAND
"News letter" of the Grand Magisterium" of july 2004

     Since the beginning of the second Intifada, the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of  Jerusalem , the first of all the Catholic organisations in the  Holy Land to intervene in order to help Christian families in difficulty, has carried out a project aimed at identifying the most urgent needs of the moment. In the past three years, tourism has been virtually non-existent. The Intifida and lack of tourists are amongst the factors contributing to the poor economy and income generally being on the poverty line. In these conditions, how can families with no income continue to pay their rent or afford medical aid and attention? How can they buy food and water, utilities and other living essentials?  

     As soon as the other Catholic and Christian institutions also organised themselves to provide humanitarian aid to the communities as well as to the needy families, a Commission was created to co-ordinate their efforts. Headed by the President of the Secretariat of Solidarity of the Apostolic Delegation of  Jerusalem , the participants include representatives from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem , Caritas Jerusalem, the Pontifical  Mission , etc. It is this commission's duty to identify the most urgent needs and to define priorities for the assistance provided through the humanitarian organisations and the parishes of the Latin Patriarchate, which are efficient advisors on meeting the families' needs. To date, our Order has distributed over US $2 million to cover the primary needs of the families, to create jobs, even if only temporary ones, allowing unemployed people to earn a salary rather than assisting them by way of financial aid that humiliates the recipient or accustoms them to relying on aid. As well as the kinds of assistance already mentioned, free medicine, provision of hospital treatment and surgical operations all allow Christian families in difficulty to survive in a dramatic situation rather than being forced to abandon their homeland. We would like to highlight a few cases of medical assistance that we think represent real help, over and above the financial aspect. 

Program to supply medicines

     In co-operation with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the German Lieutenancy and Mr. Michael Wirtz, a Knight Commander in the Aachen section and Chairman of the well-known German pharmaceutical company, Grünenthal, a new fund was created to distribute medicines through eight pharmacies in Ramallah, Beit Sahour, Jericho ,  Bethlehem , Beit Jala, and Jerusalem . Many centres (Latin Patriarchate, Caritas Bethlehem and  Jerusalem , Sisters of Charity and Sisters of St. Joseph in Bethlehem  and the different parishes) are authorised to give poor patients a form that allows them to go to one of the above-mentioned pharmacies and obtain free medicines. ‘The medicines are given for one month, renewable as long as is necessary. If the prescription is expensive, the patient is advised to go to an insurance company.The pharmacies taking part in this programme expect to receive the minimum cost. To date around 6,500 patients have taken advantage of this programme.

Help for surgical operations abd hospitalisation

     Hundreds of human lives were saved thanks to the help of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre. One of their funds covered hospital expenses for poor patients. Just a few examples may help to appreciate what has been done: 

     Nathirah, a 60-year-old lady from Beit Sahour, had a painful operation: the removal of a brain cyst. She was unable to walk and had cognitive disorders such as poor short-term memory and concentration. She received rehabilitation services at the Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation. She was helped because she is a widow and her two sons are unemployed. George is a 42-year-old man from Bethlehem . He had suffered eye problems since 2001. He was treated at the Bethlehem Arab Society. After several courses of treatment and many examinations, a brain tumour was found and has been treated in  St. Petersburg , Russia , with the help of the Knights. 

     Faris was a 1lb 12oz premature baby born to a loving family in  Bethlehem . He stayed in one of the incubators for the Hospital of the Family/Bethlehem for 90 days. He is fine now. 

     Anton, a ten-year-old boy, is one of four children in a family from Ramallah. He was diagnosed with leukaemia after a bone marrow examination and received intensive chemotherapy. The treatment cost $4,000. 

     Elias is an unemployed 68-year-old man with cancer of the lung. He lives in Beit Sahour with his wife and two daughters who are students. His surgery was performed at the Makassed Islamic Charitable Hospital,  Jerusalem . He needed radiation and chemotherapy. It was done in the Italian Hospital in Haifa . Accompanied by his wife and daughter, they were hosted during the duration of the treatment in the Saint Charles Hospice in Haifa . 

     Saydeh is a lovely girl from  Bethlehem who is from a devout Christina/Syrian Orthodox family. She had a successful kidney transplant in Egypt , which cost $27,065. Her father, a teacher, was assisted by another agency but there was a balance of $11,000. The Order paid the $11,000. Karimeh is 45 years old and lives in the West Bank village of  Beit Jala with her husband and four children. She has battled against thyroid cancer since 1992, when she underwent both chemotherapy and remedial surgery. Karimeh was physically weak and required regular examinations and long-term medication. Her doctor recommended a one-off radioactive iodine treatment instead of continuing Thyroxin medication.

     Karimeh's husband works at a small factory in the village where he receives less than $225 per month. This meagre income is gravely insufficient for a family of six. The Order paid for Karimeh's treatment.

     Mishleen is a 39-year-old mother of three from Bethlehem . Since the start of the Intifada, she has worked outside the home as a teacher in order to supplement her husband Rubi's steadily declining income. Formerly very busy, he now finds very little work in Bethlehem as a taxi driver. The family lives in a small, two-roomed house. In addition to his own household expenses, Rubi supports his elderly parents who are ill and require full-time care and regular medical attention. These financial restrictions were further challenged by the discovery of an enlarged tumour in Mishleen's brain. One year ago, she experienced convulsive seizures which were successfully controlled by medication. However, her condition necessitated a  full anaesthetic and ventilation. An operation was recommended. The cost of surgery was $9,250. A good part was covered by the Order. 

     Ricardo lives in Bethlehem . He is 47 years old, a husband, and the father of two school-aged children. Ricardo is the sole breadwinner for his family. Prior to the Intifada, he worked as a day labourer in Jerusalem , but has been unemployed for over two years due to the closure of Bethlehem . Ricardo suffered from a cancerous bladder tumour for which he has been treated for two years. Tests showed that the tumour was spreading towards the kidney. Doctors recommended operation as soon as possible. The total cost $2,676 at St. Joseph Hospital , Jerusalem was paid by the Order. o

     Issa returned to Bir Zeit, Palestine  in 1990 after the Gulf War. He lost all his property due to unstable conditions and decided to return home and start from scratch. But since 2000 he has been unemployed. Issa's wife had four children. Two of them died because of anaemia. Juana passed away when she was 14 and Christina when she was 8. Both were born with blood disorders. Their third daughter, Jiana, a lovely 12 year old was in hospital with the same problem. She urgently needed injections to save her life. Those injections helped her build up stronger immunity. The father could not afford to pay for these expensive injections as they cost $341 each. 

     Nicolas from Beit Jala is now 9 years old and the only boy among six sisters. Five years ago, he was a student in the Latin Patriarchate Kindergarten when he was hit in the hand by an Israeli bullet and had a seven hour operation to save his hand. After several days, gangrene set in and Nicolas had to have his hand amputated. Life will never be the same again for this little boy. He was helped by the German Lieutenancy, which paid for an artificial hand and makes a regular donation to the family.