Birthplace of Hope: Christmas for Bethlehem Babies
A mere 500 yards from where Jesus Christ was born, babies are waiting again to be born, and surprisingly the primitive conditions in which Our Lord was born still exist and women often find themselves delivering their babies in the most unsanitary and unsafe of conditions.
(Israel)—Advent; the joyful time of the year when Christians around the world prepare their hearts and minds for the Savior's birth. Imagine that just a mere 500 yards where Jesus Christ came into the world, hundreds of babies are waiting again to be born, and surprisingly the primitive conditions in which Our Lord was born still exist and women often find themselves delivering their babies in the most unsanitary and unsafe of conditions.
But there is hope. Holy Family Hospital is an obstetrical/gynecological facility—the only one in the region that can handle the complicated medical conditions of women living in extreme poverty. Here modern state-of-the-art birthing facilities and neonatal intensive care units for preemies serve the needs of all Bethlehem women regardless of creed, ethnicity or ability to pay. The hospital is the designated care provider for four refugee camps operated by the UN and every month over 200 women overcome curfews, road closures and roadblocks to deliver here.
Holy Family Hospital was designated by Pope John Paul II as one of the top 100 projects for the new millennium. Dedicated to delivering life and caring for the poor, the hospital brings compassion and benevolence into this area and serves as a safe haven for more than 22,000 women and children per year. Moreover, the hospital's neo-natal intensive care unit is the only one in the region and the obstetrics department provides the only long-term hospitalization for mothers with high-risk pregnancies.
Colleen Marotta, Executive Director of the U.S. based Foundation, just returned from a 4-day visit to the facility, "The women who give birth may have different traditions but they are united in that primal need of all laboring women for safety and care as they bring their children into the world. Like Mary and Joseph, these families are on a journey to find a place of refuge, a place of hope and promise, a place where their babies can be delivered safely. In the entire Bethlehem region, only one place is their destination—Holy Family Hospital."
This Advent, the Hospital is pursuing a unique drive—hosting a Baby Shower for the Bethlehem mothers. For more information on the baby showers follow the link provided.
