2015-03-13 13:11:00

A home of hope for children in Bethlehem


(Vatican Radio) On Sunday evening a concert will take place at the Basilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome in aid of the Casa Hogar Niño Dios childrens home in Bethlehem .

The centre cares for disabled, abandoned and children in serious need and is run by the Sisters of the Religious Family of the Incarnate Word.

The event is being organized by the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

Lydia O’Kane recently visited the centre in Bethlehem to learn more about its’ work.

Listen to this programme by Lydia O’Kane

As soon as you enter the courtyard of the Casa Hogar Niño Dios in Bethlehem you are immediately drawn to the to Disney posters which adorn the walls leading to the entrance of the building, which was completed in 2011. They provide a cheerful and colourful backdrop for the children who come here.

The house has been welcoming disabled, abandoned and children in serious need for 10 years. The boys and girls come from the areas of Bethlehem, Ramallah Jenin and Hebron. They also come from for different  reasons. Some are at the centre because their parents have difficulty coping with the child’s disability, or because other centres cannot take them. There is still a stigma attached to disability here. Children are often abandoned by their families living in areas of Palestine who see a handicap as a source of shame .

Once inside the house the Sisters explain more about the facilities that are offered to the at least 20 children with both mental and physical disabilities. The services range from schooling to physiotherapy and hydrotherapy sessions.

Argentinian Priest Father Gabriel Romanelli tells me that their principal aim is to bear witness to the love God has for the children in Jesus Christ, both Muslim and Christian.

He goes on to explain that, “they reject from society handicapped people, but this is our mission and we try to show them that this is not only possible, it is necessary to help these children. In these children God is present.”

When you see the children they seem like any others, some playing with soft toys, others running around. There is a sense of security here, but also real sense of family.

The children’s own families are encouraged by the home to continue to play an active part in their little ones lives. Some of these children will at some point be reintegrated into society, for others this place of welcome will be their permanent adopted home.

An hour later as the streets of Bethlehem beckon me once more, it seems entirely fitting that this house is here in the place where Jesus was born.








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