We Brought the Gift of Light to a Hospital in Gaza
January 13, 2020We, at Canadian Friends of Sabeel, have spent our year working with you towards justice and peace in the Holy Land. As we do this work together, we are continuously met with disheartening news of settlement expansion and violence from the region. However, despite the occupation, Palestinians continue to be resilient.
Last Christmas, we asked for your donations to help Gaza’s Al Ahli Hospital transition into solar power. We matched your gifts, and together we raised the funds needed for the project. This September, Dr. Tarek Loubani visited Al Ahli to see the progress and has this message to share:
“Al Ahli is one of Gaza’s largest and most important non-government hospitals. The hospital has over 2,500 inpatient stays per year and more than 40,000 outpatient visits.
As a result of your contributions, Al Ahli has covered almost all of its electrical needs! In my visit, I had the privilege of seeing the benefits of this first phase of work, which has decreased Al Ahli’s electricity spending from $150,000 USD ($40,000 for grid power and $110,000 for diesel) to $80,000 USD ($25,000 for grid power and $55,000 for diesel).
These costs will decrease to almost zero with the second phase of the project. A third phase of the project, fundraised by Wyoming United Church, will see the radiology department connected to the solar panel grid.
I saw the smiles on the faces of doctors and patients at Al Ahli while I was visiting. They asked me to thank the donors, Canadian Friends of Sabeel, and parishioners of Wyoming United for their support and solidarity.”
– Dr. Tarek Loubani
We at CFOS are extremely grateful for your support for the people of Gaza. The solar panel project at Al Ahli is a reminder of why we do this work. As we finish off 2019 with a full roster of projects and activities, we continue to keep Gaza in our hearts.
