Palestine (MNN) — The Shepherd Society, a charitable arm of Bethlehem Bible College, assists struggling Palestinian families in the West Bank and Gaza. Decades of occupations have left these people facing constant hardship.
Shireen Hilal, Director of Community and Development Outreach at the college, says the Shepherd Society provides food packages to Palestinians who need it. During COVID-19 they have prepared and distributed twice as many food packages as before, since so many people are newly jobless To make matters worse, Palestine is seeing a new surge of COVID-19 cases. Read more here.
Aside from food, many Palestinians suffer from sickness and a lack of quality medicine or insurance. Hilal says, “We started seeking insurance for people who are elderly. The elderly system for senior people here is really absolutely unfair. If someone is above 60 years of age, then he has no rights, whether medical or whatsoever, not even the right to work.”
COVID-19 lockdowns have also been hard on the Palestinian economy, which relies heavily on tourism. (Photo courtesy of Bethlehem Bible College on Facebook)
Reaching the marginalized
The Shepherd Society reaches any marginalized groups they can, including the elderly, women, sick people, and the poor. They provide aid for refugees and microfinance projects to help Palestinian businesses get started.
During COVID-19, the number of people needing help has gone up, and the Shepherd Society is ready to help everyone. Hilal says, “If you’re Muslim and you seek help, you get help. If you are a Christian and you need help, you also get help. And if someone is a Jew and needs help, we do help. We are not entitled to only help Christians or only believers.”
You can donate to the Shepherd Society by visiting the website here.
Pray the Shepherd Society will have the funds necessary to take care of marginalized people in Palestine, especially during COVID-19, and pray many would see this kindness and be drawn to the love of Christ.
Header photo courtesy of Bethlehem Bible College on Facebook.
