Family homes in Beit Jala have suffered greatly under Israeli shelling fired from the settlement in Gilo. The families of Beit Jala have average annual salaries of $4956.00 and thus, they cannot build houses without assistance. Over the past five years, these families have contributed to a general pool of funds that will help to build some affordable housing. Thus far, they have accrued approximately $8,000. A recent grant of $500,000 to the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF) will allow a housing project to be built for 24 families from Beit Jala.
The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF)*
News Release
$500,000 Grant From HCEF to Beit Jala Housing Project to Accommodate 24 Families
Family homes in Beit Jala have suffered greatly under Israeli shelling fired from the settlement in Gilo. The families of Beit Jala have average annual salaries of $4956.00 and thus, they cannot build houses without assistance. Over the past five years, these families have contributed to a general pool of funds that will help to build some affordable housing. Thus far, they have accrued approximately $8,000. A recent grant of $500,000 to the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF) will allow a housing project to be built for 24 families from Beit Jala.
The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF) encourages Christians to remain in the Holy Land in order to maintain the 2000-year long Christian legacy in the land where Christianity was born. HCEF’s programs focus on housing, education, the craft industry, and solidarity. Funds for these programs come directly from donors who wish to support the Christians of the Holy Land and are looking for an efficient means of making a direct impact on the lives of the indigenous Christians who are suffering through the military occupation and the current violence in the region. HCEF’s Child Sponsorship Program infuses money into the Christian schools while also creating enduring bonds of friendship between the children and their sponsors. In support of the handicrafts industry, HCEF creates markets in the United States for olive wood and mother of pearl handicrafts produced by several families’ workshops in the Bethlehem district. HCEF also encourages pilgrimage to the Holy Land and has arranged several Christian pilgrimages and fact-finding missions that will occur in 2002.
Most importantly, HCEF creates awareness of the plight of Holy Land Christians and informs Americans about the impact that military occupation has had on the spiritual, social and economic lives of all Palestinians living in the land where the Prince of Peace was born, taught, died and rose again.
( The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation is a tax-exempt, 501c3 non-profit organization committed to improving the lives of Christians in the Holy Land by developing bonds of solidarity with Christians in the United States, providing humanitarian assistance to relieve suffering, offering educational support, and assisting with local job creation. HCEF, PO Box 6687, Silver Spring, MD 20906. (301) 951-9400, Fax (301) 951-9402. www.hcef.org. email: news@hcef.org, Toll Free (866) 871-4233
