Children of Peace New Supporters of our Work

The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital group is delighted to announce that Children of Peace has awarded a grant of £5,000 towards our work treating squint in young girls in East Jerusalem and the West bank. 

Squint, or strabismus, is a condition where the eyes do not look in the same direction.  Whilst one eye looks forwards to focus on an object, the other eye turns either inwards, outwards, upwards or downwards. 

A child with a squint may stop using the affected eye to see with altogether.  This can lead to sight loss called amblyopia, which can become permanent unless treated early in childhood.

Children do not grow out of squints.  Early detection and treatment are vital!

In 2010, our Orthoptics Department in Jerusalem saw and treated a total of 3,244 children who were suffering from squints; 1,684 of these were girls.   In addition to those young girls whose sight we were able to save, their families would also have benefitted – no longer suffering either the potential economic burden of caring for someone with impaired vision, or the accompanying social stigmatization. 

Children of Peace is a UK Registered Charity that stands for, “notions of peaceful coexistence and the protection of both Israeli and Palestinian children aged 4-17 in the Gaza, Israel and the West Bank”.

We are both enormously proud and grateful that such an organisation has come aboard as a supporter of our work.