Birth Hospital Just Yards From Jesus' Birthplace Asks U.S. Christians to Host Baby Showers this Advent to Help Bethlehem Families in Great Need
Contact: Ashley Walker, The Maximus Group, 678-990-9032
WASHINGTON, Nov. 18 /Christian
Newswire/ -- 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.
This Advent, the Hospital is asking for the generosity of
U.S. Christians through a simple, yet common and joyful
American tradition - hosting a Baby Shower for the Bethlehem
mothers. The U.S. based Foundation which supports the work
of the hospital makes it easy. Everything one needs to throw
the shower is downloadable from their website at
www.birthplaceofhope.org. And the opportunity and
benefit to do this during the joyful time of waiting for
Christ’s own birth is immeasurable.
The need is great. Living in poverty and under pervasive
political stress creates a high-risk-situation for pregnant
women. Twenty-five percent of the women served by the
hospital live in refugee camps. 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.
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."
Holy Family Hospital Foundation is working with schools,
groups, host families and churches around the country to
provide necessities to the modern day Mary and Joseph in the
region. Sample invitations, stories about individual mothers
and babies, a registry, and tips for a menu and decorations
are provided at
www.BirthplaceofHope.org in order to facilitate baby
showers. By participating in this incredible project,
individuals and groups can assure that every newborn will be
swaddled, fed and cared for in Bethlehem this Christmas.
About Holy Family Hospital: Considered the pre-eminent
provider of medical services in the Bethlehem region, Holy
Family Hospital has served as a beacon of hope for
Palestinian women in desperate need of healthcare for more
than a millennium. 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 and under the shadow of
political strife.
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.
Executive Director of Holy Family Hospital Foundation,
Colleen Marotta, is available for interviews. Please contact
Ashley Walker (contact information above). For information
on hosting a baby shower please visit
www.BirthplaceofHope.org.