BibleLands has launched its Christmas appeal for 2005, and has set the target of raising £150,000 for crucial care and support works with disabled children across the Middle-East region.

|PIC1|The Christmas appeal will highlight the work of ‘The Sheepfold’ – a Christian-led care centre in Shepherd’s Fields in Bethlehem.

BibleLands has expressed its hope that the appeal will raise enough funds to make available education, equipment and therapy for the many disabled children whose families are struggling with no access to state support at all.

The BibleLands Head of Communications & Fundraising, Tricia Pruden explained how she chose The Sheepfold as the focus of the appeal after hearing of a thirteen-year-old girl that suffered from congenital disabilities and hearing impairment.

Pruden commented, “Like many disabled children in the Middle East, Jamilla spent the early years of her life hidden away. Although she was keen to go to school like her siblings, there was no opportunity for her to have an education. She remained at home, spending long hours alone, while her disadvantaged parents tried to cope with her disabilities as well as everyday life without any financial or practical aid.”

Only when Jamillia was accepted into the Sheepfold did she begin to receive physiotherapy, and has learnt to use specially modified IT equipment, as well as finally having the chance to befriend others of her own age, explained Pruden.

“Her situation really emphasises the importance of The Sheepfold’s work – and that of our other Project Partners supporting so many young people’s varied needs in the Middle East. We want the money raised by this Appeal to change the lives of as many disabled children as possible.”

The Sheepfold is a small Christian home that seeks to provide individual care and teaching for children and young people with special needs. It is situated in Beit Sahour, a small Palestinian Christian Arab town just outside Bethlehem in the West Bank; better know to visitors as the site of the Shepherds’ Field. The priority is to reach out to children who have no other place to go, often due to severely disturbed behaviour or profound disabilities, many of whom have been rejected by other institutions. Its services are provided free of charge and it receives no government funding.

Explaining how the appeal was particularly fitting for the time of the year, Pruden concluded, “The shepherds of 2000 years ago were marginalised members of society – but they were valued and accepted by God. This Christmas, while people reflect on the Nativity story, we are asking them to consider the marginalised children of today, who are just as precious in God’s sight. Through the work of our Partners on the ground, people here in the UK can recognise the unique and special value of Jamilla and each and every one of those children like her, whatever their difficulty or disability, by making a gift to BibleLands that will help them this Christmas.”

For more information and to visit the BibleLands website and to donate to the appeal, please click here.