A helping hand for suffering people of the West Bank By TERRY HOUSHOLDER   Facilitating peace, justice and human rights in Jerusalem and the West Bank is the goal of the Lutheran World Federation in its outreach in the Holy Land. With support from Lutherans around the world, the religious organization has programs that provide health care, vocational training and employment for the blind. Based on a beautiful 55-acre setting on the Mount of Olives in East Jeru-salem, the Lutheran World Federation operates Augusta Victoria Hospital, which primarily serves Palestinian refugees needing medical care. We visited the site on our mid-November trip to the Holy Land. Tawfiq Amin Nasser, the administrator/chief of operations, gave our group a tour of the facilities. Born in the office he now occupies (which was the hospital's obstetric's department three decades ago), Nasser is the first Palestinian to hold the position. Founded by German Kaiser Wilhelm II and his wife, Empress Augusta-Victoria, the hospital's cornerstone was laid in 1907 but not completed until 1914. It was transferred to the Lutheran World Federation in 1948, and since 1950 has been operated by the Lutheran organization in cooperation with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). A few years ago, Augusta Victoria Hospital, in conjunction with the East Jerusalem Hospitals' Forum, began to develop a new direction aimed at better serving the needs of the community. Augusta and the forum began to organize medical services among hospitals in East Jerusalem to avoid duplicity of services and use available resources more efficiently and effectively. In 1996, the hospital, seeing the need to specialize its services, became a clinic for cancer, and ear, nose and throat conditions. In 1997, the hospital provided in-patient health services to 4,985 people and served 13,184 people in its outpatient department. Palestinian refugees supported by the UNRWA constituted 70 percent of all admissions and 57 percent of the outpatient workload. The Lutheran World Federation also operates six Medical Village Health Clinics which provide medical care to the surrounding 23 villages in the West Bank, north of Jerusalem. Because the villages are remote, this is the only medical care available to them. The program's services are coordinated between the village clinic team and Augusta Victoria Hospital. Last year, more than 19,000 patients were served in the clinics, up from 11,600 the year before. For the 48th year, the Lutheran World Federation continues to be a leader in the area of vocational training for young Palestinian men. There continues to be a great need for qualified workers in the vocations provided by the program. About 140 students are enrolled at the Mount of Olives facility and about 60 percent of the students live on campus. Each year nearly 400 applications are received for the 70 to 75 slots. Vocational programs offered include: carpentry, auto mechanics, welding and forging, plumbing, central heating and machinery fitting. Although unemployment levels are very high across the West Bank, placement of graduates of the vocational school is extremely high. On average, 92 percent of the graduates are employed in their chosen field immediately upon graduation. The majority of the remaining students continue in higher technical education. One goal the vocational school has is to offer a new electronics department, geared to better assist women. The program targets the area of telecommunications because graduates of the programs are in great demand. The Lutheran World Federation also offers Workshops for the Blind in Jerusalem and the West Bank. Last year it employed 24 blind workers. The workers, who earn dignity through their ability to support their families, produce a variety of brushes and cane baskets for home and commercial use that are sold in local markets. The wages earned by the workers go to support nearly 200 Palestinians including the families of these workers.  Return to Holy Land up Close index   Return to News-Sun & Evening Star Copyright Kendallville Publishing Company