LIFE for Relief and Development in Palestine: Expanding Humanitarian Projects in Food Assistance, Healthcare, and Elderly Care in West Bank
(MENAFN- MENAFNEditorial) Bethlehem – LIFE for Relief and Development has implemented a series of humanitarian projects in Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, and Beit Jala in the West Bank. The initiatives included distributing food assistance to families, providing personal care supplies to patients at Bethlehem Psychiatric Hospital, delivering fresh meat to elderly care institutions, and organizing a social visit for older residents. The organization is also coordinating preparations for an education support initiative scheduled for launch in 2027.
The projects addressed essential needs among families, patients, and older people while supporting institutions that provide care for these groups. Some of these institutions continue to face challenges in securing the resources needed to meet beneficiaries’ needs.
Supporting Bethlehem Psychiatric Hospital
At Bethlehem Psychiatric Hospital, LIFE provided personal care kits to help meet the daily hygiene needs of 150 patients receiving long-term psychiatric care, amid deteriorating conditions in the region.
The hospital serves patients from various governorates across the West Bank, including individuals who lack adequate family or financial support. The project aimed to provide essential supplies while easing some of the burden on hospital management in securing these necessities.
LIFE purchased the kits, inspected their quality, and coordinated their transportation in cooperation with the Bethlehem Governorate and hospital management. Hospital staff were responsible for distributing the supplies and supervising their use in accordance with established medical procedures.
Anjad Zahran, a supervisor at Bethlehem Psychiatric Hospital, said the facility faces difficulties in providing patients with basic necessities. She noted that the assistance targeted a group that, in her words, experiences social and family neglect. She added that meeting patients’ needs in this area is particularly important given the facility’s limited resources.
Food Assistance for Elderly Care Homes
As part of its efforts to support nutrition at elderly care institutions, LIFE delivered fresh meat to two centers in Beit Sahour and Beit Jala, benefiting more than 300 older people.
The initiative involved purchasing veal and transporting it directly to the two centers in refrigerated vehicles. Quantities were allocated to each institution in coordination with the Bethlehem Governorate.
According to project details, the assistance was intended to help provide meals for residents while reducing some of the expenses the two institutions incur in securing food.
The initiative forms part of LIFE’s efforts to address the needs of older people in the region, both by providing food supplies and by supporting the institutions responsible for their care.
Emotional and Social Support for Older People in Beit Sahour
Alongside material assistance, LIFE organized a visit to the Beit Sahour Elderly Care Center, where a team from the organization met with 100 male and female residents.
The visit included individual conversations and social activities. Residents also received ceramic mugs featuring their own photographs, along with pieces of chocolate.
The visit lasted several hours and gave team members an opportunity to interact directly with the older residents. According to the project report, several residents were moved by the personalized gifts bearing their photographs, while some expressed a desire for similar visits to be repeated.
One resident, named Mona, reflected on the initiative, saying: “When you reach this age, the world stops taking your pictures. You begin to feel invisible. Today, you reminded me that I am still here and that I am still beautiful.”
Following the visit, LIFE explored the possibility of organizing regular volunteer visits to the center to maintain ongoing social connections with its residents.
Long-Term Educational Support in the West Bank
Alongside its relief projects, LIFE is preparing to launch the Bethlehem Education Fund initiative in the summer of 2027, with the aim of providing long-term educational support in the region.
During a recent visit to Bethlehem, the organization’s representatives met with Bishop Benedictus, the city’s patriarchal representative, to discuss the initiative and possible mechanisms for supporting it. According to project notes, the bishop expressed support for the idea and a willingness to reach out to local and international church leaders to raise awareness of the initiative.
The organization’s representatives also met with Shireen Awad, a representative of the Bible Society in Bethlehem, to discuss the possibility of organizing an outreach campaign targeting churches locally and internationally, including churches in the United States, to support the proposed fund.
The initiative remains in the planning stage, with current discussions focused on building relationships with church institutions that could help support the fund once it is launched.
Food Assistance in Beit Jala and Beit Sahour
Earlier this year, LIFE’s Palestine office distributed food baskets to families in Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, Beit Jala, and other areas across the West Bank. The assistance aimed to provide essential food items to families facing economic hardship.
The projects addressed essential needs among families, patients, and older people while supporting institutions that provide care for these groups. Some of these institutions continue to face challenges in securing the resources needed to meet beneficiaries’ needs.
Supporting Bethlehem Psychiatric Hospital
At Bethlehem Psychiatric Hospital, LIFE provided personal care kits to help meet the daily hygiene needs of 150 patients receiving long-term psychiatric care, amid deteriorating conditions in the region.
The hospital serves patients from various governorates across the West Bank, including individuals who lack adequate family or financial support. The project aimed to provide essential supplies while easing some of the burden on hospital management in securing these necessities.
LIFE purchased the kits, inspected their quality, and coordinated their transportation in cooperation with the Bethlehem Governorate and hospital management. Hospital staff were responsible for distributing the supplies and supervising their use in accordance with established medical procedures.
Anjad Zahran, a supervisor at Bethlehem Psychiatric Hospital, said the facility faces difficulties in providing patients with basic necessities. She noted that the assistance targeted a group that, in her words, experiences social and family neglect. She added that meeting patients’ needs in this area is particularly important given the facility’s limited resources.
Food Assistance for Elderly Care Homes
As part of its efforts to support nutrition at elderly care institutions, LIFE delivered fresh meat to two centers in Beit Sahour and Beit Jala, benefiting more than 300 older people.
The initiative involved purchasing veal and transporting it directly to the two centers in refrigerated vehicles. Quantities were allocated to each institution in coordination with the Bethlehem Governorate.
According to project details, the assistance was intended to help provide meals for residents while reducing some of the expenses the two institutions incur in securing food.
The initiative forms part of LIFE’s efforts to address the needs of older people in the region, both by providing food supplies and by supporting the institutions responsible for their care.
Emotional and Social Support for Older People in Beit Sahour
Alongside material assistance, LIFE organized a visit to the Beit Sahour Elderly Care Center, where a team from the organization met with 100 male and female residents.
The visit included individual conversations and social activities. Residents also received ceramic mugs featuring their own photographs, along with pieces of chocolate.
The visit lasted several hours and gave team members an opportunity to interact directly with the older residents. According to the project report, several residents were moved by the personalized gifts bearing their photographs, while some expressed a desire for similar visits to be repeated.
One resident, named Mona, reflected on the initiative, saying: “When you reach this age, the world stops taking your pictures. You begin to feel invisible. Today, you reminded me that I am still here and that I am still beautiful.”
Following the visit, LIFE explored the possibility of organizing regular volunteer visits to the center to maintain ongoing social connections with its residents.
Long-Term Educational Support in the West Bank
Alongside its relief projects, LIFE is preparing to launch the Bethlehem Education Fund initiative in the summer of 2027, with the aim of providing long-term educational support in the region.
During a recent visit to Bethlehem, the organization’s representatives met with Bishop Benedictus, the city’s patriarchal representative, to discuss the initiative and possible mechanisms for supporting it. According to project notes, the bishop expressed support for the idea and a willingness to reach out to local and international church leaders to raise awareness of the initiative.
The organization’s representatives also met with Shireen Awad, a representative of the Bible Society in Bethlehem, to discuss the possibility of organizing an outreach campaign targeting churches locally and internationally, including churches in the United States, to support the proposed fund.
The initiative remains in the planning stage, with current discussions focused on building relationships with church institutions that could help support the fund once it is launched.
Food Assistance in Beit Jala and Beit Sahour
Earlier this year, LIFE’s Palestine office distributed food baskets to families in Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, Beit Jala, and other areas across the West Bank. The assistance aimed to provide essential food items to families facing economic hardship.
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