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The St. John Family

As always, significant thanks go out to all in the St John Family across the world.  Over the course of 2011, you provided a grand total in assistance to the Hospital Group of £1,148,903 ($1,802,368).

Priory Hospitaller, Judith Hoban, on the significance of the Eye Hospital to Our Friends in New Zealand

Sponsorship of Theatre Nurse Samia Yacoub, providing over $NZ60,000 to support the Nurse Accommodation Conversion Project and launching a St John rose to mark 125 years of St John service to New Zealand were three of the NZ Priory’s undertakings in support of SJEHG in the last year.

Jackie Jaidy pays tribute. 

Friends and colleagues of Dr David Michael Ward were saddened by the news of his passing on New Year’s Day. 

As the Warden of the hospital for five years from 1990 to1995, his leadership inspired confidence and trust at one of the most difficult periods in its history.  During the first Gulf War, when Scud missiles whizzing overhead were a regular occurrence several times a day, Michael’s sense of humour encouraged everyone. 

Two distinguished St John devotees take over

With the year’s end came the conclusion of The Dowager Lady Westbury’s year-long tenure as Chair of The Guild.

Jointly taking over the position in 2012 are two of the most well-known faces at many a fundraiser in aid of the Hospital Group, Ms Patricia Tallon and Miss Denise Magaurin. 

Denise Magauran, writes,

Lifelines, a collective of poets, writers, musicians and performers based in London, use their free time to organise benefit gigs for international development organisations in the UK. They have chosen SJEHG for their Spring Fundraiser and will be presenting an outstanding evening of entertainment and education, showcasing writers, musicians and poets, who all in their own way feel passionately about the Palestinian cause.

 Headlining the event will be the acclaimed Palestinian author Dr Ghada Karmi.

Head of London Office Moves On

It was with great sadness that we all said goodbye to Nicky Wynne at the end of November last year. 

Nicky had been Head of Fundraising and Marketing at the St John Eye Hospital Group London office since October 2007 and presided over a grand total of £5.6m coming into the office during that time. 

St John Eye Hospital Group Board Member, Victoria Sheffield, and Gaza Clinic Director, Dr Kamal Okasha, finally met – entirely by chance – at the World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC 2012) in Abu Dhabi recently.

This Wednesday, 8 February, 2012, we had another one of our weekly fun days for our little patients scheduled to see the specialists in the Orthoptic Clinic and our skilled paediatric Doctors.  As it is every week, the waiting room was prepared for the children and equipped with paper and drawing and colouring pens to keep them occupied while waiting their turn, and to make coming to St. John Eye Hospital a fun experience.

The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group is most pleased to announce that The Prem Rawat Foundation has awarded $30,000 (£18,840) towards our work with children across the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).

This is the fourth award to the Hospital Group made by The Prem Rawat Foundation and marks a $5,000 increase on that of 2010. 

US Senator, Mary Landrieu, made a special request to visit to our Jerusalem Hospital on a trip to Israel recently.  The Senator, on a trade mission to the region in October, was accompanied on her visit by senior US Consulate official, Walter Miller.  Senator Lanrieu is good friends with members of the St John Priory in the United States.  What follows here is a selection of photographs taken during her visit. 

A BBC radio crew visited the Hospital Group for a documentary entitled “Life in Many Voices”

Staying at the Jerusalem Hospital from 20 – 27 November 2011, BBC World Service producer, Mike Greenwood , and his crew collected audio material for the radio programme, which will feature the work of the St. John Eye Hospital Group.

Carole Hayman and Josh Pulman are also visiting the Hospital in order to gather promotional and research material about the work of the Hospital Group that could be developed into a proposal for a film on the subject.

Sister Ann Zawahreh – A tribute to 38 years of loyal service.

Farewell to Siw Westman – Ophthalmic Sister and Orthoptist.

When Siw arrived at the hospital in 1990, she did not realize what an exciting career span lay ahead of her at the St John Eye Hospital. She trained as an Ophthtlamic nurse at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden and had spent two years at the King Khaled Eye Hospital in Saudi Arabia by the time she arrived at St John.

The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group remains most grateful to The Worshipful Company of Gardeners for its support of our Jerusalem Hospital’s famous garden over the years. On the occasion of the Company’s most recent award to the Hospital Group in favour of a ploughing machine for Jerusalem, we thought we’d write up a short piece on the men who make the Jerusalem garden happen.

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. 

Nicky Wynne pays tribute

Celebrating the philanthropic endeavours of our friends, The Knights Templar – who, in addition to their generous annual donations – this year raised a staggering £140,000 for the purchase of vital systems for the early detection of preventable blindness.

Steady at the Helm and Gaza News

It is hard to believe more than three years have passed since John Talbot took over the Chairmanship of our Board.  The time has flown by, an indication of just how busy we have been. A time of mostly highs with a modicum of lows – the latter generally financially driven and beyond our control.  I take this opportunity of sincerely thanking John for his guidance, his wisdom and also his friendship.  John was well supported by his wife Esme and both will be missed.

The London office bids farewell to John Talbot

The London Office had the great honour to work closely with John Talbot during his tenure as the Chairman of our charity.  He is both a wonderful teacher and a great friend. 

Anabta Satellite Flourishing

Our Clinic in Anabta is currently on a roll!  Presided over by Doctor-in-Charge Sami Sukhtian and Nurse-in-Charge, Hani Abu El Haji, everyday more patients arrive at the centre than the day before.  Monthly, attendance is up on last year – when more people than ever before in the Hospital Group’s 129 history came through our doors.  

Freemasons supporting Head Orthoptist, Judith Musallam

In addition to the special Anabta project, the Knights Templar continue to raise over £100,000 in vital funding for staff sponsorship every year. 

Without our strong team of professionals and dedicated staff we would not be able to ensure that the best possible care is given to those who need it most.  Staff costs are 60% of our overall charity expenditure, £4.5m in 2011.

The St. John Family

So far this year – as of 31 August – the St John Family of Priories has raised a total of £559,082 ($894,522). 

The league table of individual country total contributions stands thus:  the Priory of England has donated £147,572, the Priory of New Zealand £126,016, the Priory of the United States £123,487, the Priory of Scotland £105,948, the Priory of Wales £25,000, the Priory of Canada £20,335 and the Priory of Australia and New South Wales £10,723.

Why the Hospital Group is on message… 

Many of you will have noted that The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group has had a Facebook group page for some time.  We can also now be followed on Twitter and a regular blog is being posted to Wordpress, as well as on the website, on Wednesdays and Fridays. 

Geraldine Ohannessian celebrates former Guild Member and the late wife of Head of Palestinian Diplomatic Mission to the UK

The memorial service for Samira Hassassian, wife of Head of Palestinian Diplomatic Mission to the United Kingdom, Manuel Hassassian, was held on September 10th in London.  Several members of the Guild of the St John Eye Hospital Group attended in order to pay their respects. 

Dr. Kamal Okasha has been presented with the Hospital Group’s Magauran Cup – awarded to the doctor within the Group who has contributed most to its medical services – for his work at our Gaza Clinic. 

In a ceremony held in the Jerusalem Hospital’s Cloisters on Friday, 23rd September, and attended by new Chairman Philip Hardaker, Dr. Okasha was presented with the cup by Trustee and Medical Advisor Nick Astbury.  The annual prize was inaugurated by Denise Magauran, former Chief Surgeon at the Hospital Group, in 2005.

ST. JOHN EYE HOSPITAL GROUP

REPORT TO PRIORY HOSPITALLERS

Gift of Sight Fair 2011 - Stall Holders Information

The annual Gift of Sight Fair in aid of the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group will be held in 2011 on 1st November 6pm - 9pm & 2nd of November 2011 9.30am - 4pm. 

The fair will be held at the Chelsea Town Hall, Kings Road, London SW3 5EE. 

Table prices will vary from £200 to £300 (for a prime position) for a 6' table.

The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group is delighted to confirm that, on 26 June, 2011, a new plot of land in Gaza City was signed over to the Group. 

When funding has been secured, the Group will build a new facilty in Gaza, and this is the first step on that path.  The signing took place between Rod Bull, CEO, and Mr Ibraheem Radwan, the Chairman of the Palestinian Land Authority.   

We will bring you news of the Gaza build as it happens. 

Friday 24th June, 2011, Midsummer Day and the feast of St. John the Baptist, was remembered in Jerusalem at a service held in the Hospital Chapel.

The service was led by The Reverend Canon Hussam Naoum and The Reverend Canon William Broughton of Jerusalem’s St. George’s Cathedral – following which breakfast was enjoyed by staff members in the Hospital garden.

To see a small selection of photographs, click here.

The story of Outreach…

One of the defining features of the part of the world in which we work is its people’s inability to travel freely.  This means that Outreach is certainly one of the most regionally relevant of all of our services. 

Our teams literally do “reach out” to people, taking vital screening and treatment to patients living in remote, rural and impoverished towns and communities in the West Bank; patients who are prohibited from coming to the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem. 

The ECHO of Funding Decisions

Over the years much has been written about our Outreach services, and many compliments have been received from grateful recipient communities. Two highly professional multi-disciplinary teams, venturing into the rural towns, villages and refugee camps dotted around the West Bank examining and treating those who, for a variety of reasons, are unable to journey into our main Hospital in Jerusalem. 

Nurse Practitioner Khaled Zuaiter takes over as coordinator

New Outreach Coordinator, Khaled Zuaiter, took over from Nasralah Khalilia in the post at the beginning of the year.  He could not have begun his tenure at the helm of the team at a more testing time. 

The International Fund-Raising Scene

Fund-raising is a complex and, often, disappointing experience.  You may think that all that has to be done is to get out into the marketing and fund-raising arena and, if you pitch your appeal in the right way, money will flow into the Hospital Group’s coffers.  Unfortunately, this is rarely the case.

Golden Anniversary appeal comes up trumps!

Many of you will remember that, in February last year, we launched an appeal for funds to upgrade the Jerusalem Hospital’s Medical Retinal Unit.  At that time, we told you that we needed to raise £150,000. 

It is a pleasure to report to you that, this appeal, which also marked the Golden Anniversary of the present hospital building in Sheik Jarrah, actually raised over £254,000 and has meant that a wonderful new unit is now nearing completion.

In addition to Jerusalem's new Medical Retinal Unit, big changes are also about to occur in another area of the Jerusalem Hospital.  Thanks to support from the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) Bayt Mal al-Quds Agency, we are initiating a project to split the existing Women and Children’s Ward and also establish a state of the art Surgical Day Care Unit, which is in-keeping with modern ophthalmic practices. 

The St. John Family

Thank you, as always, to the St John Family across the world.  So far this year, the Priories have contributed £150,917 towards our costs. 

Special mention this edition goes to the Priory of the United States, which has recently committed to the three year sponsorship of ophthalmologist in training, Dr. Ala’a Al-Talbishi.

Sexagenarian completes London course for the Hospital

On behalf of all of our patients and staff, Jerusalem Scene would like to extend a huge thank you to 62 year old Hugh Saville of Twickenham, Middlesex, who power walked the 2011 London Marathon in April in order to raise an impressive £2,160.00 for the Hospital Group.  Here, Mr Saville describeshis experience: 

When I heard I had a place in the London Marathon, it was an easy decision to raise funds for the Eye Hospital, as I am a keen supporter.

We talk to The Dowager Lady Westbury, who has taken over from Lauretta Ridley as head of The Guild for 2011.

Lady Westbury has enjoyed a long involvement with the Hospital and her family can boast an even longer association with the Order of St John. Both her mother and grandfather were members and Lady Westbury joined as a cadet before the Second World War.

Head of Fundraising and Marketing for The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group, Nicky Wynne, was greatly honoured to be included in the guest list for a very special dinner and conference commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Arab International Women’s Forum (AIWF), held in London on 11 and 12 May, 2011. 

The St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem, from 3 – 5 June, was proud to host the Annual General Meeting of Johanniter International, or JOIN.

JOIN was formed in 2000, and is a non-profit partnership between the national charities of The Alliance of the Orders of St. John of Jerusalem.  Its member organisations are based in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and have access to a volunteer base of over 100,000 personnel, as well as cooperation links with charitable organisations in around 40 other countries.

The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group would like to thank Consultant Ophthalmologist and Ophthalmic Plastic Surgeon, Mr Tony Tyers, for his recent volunteer visit to the Jerusalem Hospital. 

Mr Tyers, who was with us during the period 29 May to 6th June, is ordinarily based at the Salisbury District Hospital in Wiltshire.  He has been coming to the Hospital as a volunteer since the early 1990’s.  This was his 17th visit to assist us.

Thanks to the generosity of Abraaj Capital, the biggest private equity group in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, The St John Eye Hospital Group has been able to purchase a new vehicle for our mobile outreach programme.  The new van replaces the depreciated existing vehicle and will allow us to continue to take poverty-relieving eye care out to the most isolated and impoverished communities in the OPT.

In January this year, the Priory of the Order of St John in the United States committed to the three year sponsorship of ophthalmologist in training, Dr. Ala’a Al-Talbishi. The 27-year-old Al-Talbishi is a promising physician in The St John Eye Hospital Group’s residency training program. 

The young and passionate Dr. Husam Rahal is the latest addition to the Medical staff at our Jerusalem Hospital. 

62 year old Mr Hugh Saville of Twickenham, Middlesex will be power walking the 2011 London Marathon on 17 April to raise funds for the Hospital Group.  A member of the Kingston Stragglers running club, this will be his second marathon.

The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group is very pleased to announce the success of its Patron’s Reception this year.  Hosted by our wonderful champion, The Lord Vestey, at historic Charterhouse in London on 24th March, the event raised a clear £27,294 net profit, all of which will go to our Patient Relief Fund, which ensures that the poorest patients receive treatment regardless of their ability to pay. 

Senior Medical and Paramedical Officers of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have paid a courtesy visit to our main Hospital in Jerusalem in order to gain familiarity with our work and to learn a little of the history of St. John Eye hospital.

The Officers were welcomed by Rod Bull, CEO, Dr. Jeanne Garth, Medical Director and Reem Salameh, Administration Manager.

2011 sees all-change at the Sir Stephen Miller School of Nursing

As a new student cohort begins its nurse training at our Jerusalem Hospital, so our new Senior lecturer practitioner, Nasrallah Khalilia, begins his tenure as head of the School of Nursing there.   

Nasrallah has been with the Hospital Group since 1999, when he himself enrolled as a student nurse at the School, and comes to his current post after a seven-year stretch as Coordinator of our Outreach programme.

Dr Kamal Okasha – our new acting Clinical Director in Gaza – was first appointed ophthalmic surgeon at the satellite centre on 17th November 2005.  But his association with the Hospital Group goes back much farther – to a severe eye trauma that he suffered as a five year old, and which was successfully treated at the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem. 

At the time of his appointment to the Gaza Clinic, he was quoted in Jerusalem Scene as saying that the memory of this treatment had inspired his dream to become an eye doctor.

The St. John Family

A colossal and bumper thank you to the St John Family across the world, which, last year, provided a grand total in assistance to the Hospital Group of £1,241,359 ($1,920,506).

Alex Burrough decides it’s time to move on. 

It has been a difficult decision but I am bidding adieu to my position as Fundraising & Marketing Officer at the Eye Hospital’s London office, and am off to live and work in Zambia for a while.  I will continue to do fundraising work, but this time I will be helping to pay for underprivileged children to attend a group of 22 schools in Lusaka, called the Zambian Open Community Schools. 

Record attendances and our Patient Relief Fund

"My Trip to the St John Eye Hospital" by Lyn Zimmo

Lyn Zimmo is a final year medical student at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry at Queen Mary University.  While attending an ophthalmology conference at the Royal Society of Medicine, she heard about St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem. 

A brief word from Mr. John Talbot

190 Surgeries Undertaken at Enclave Clinic

Since January 2006, when Hamas came to power in the Gaza Strip, the enclave has been – quite literally – immured by heightened security.  This has meant that our Clinic in Gaza City has had to operate for long stretches with very little direct involvement from Jerusalem as neither staff nor equipment have found easy passage to our satellite Clinic. 

The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group, on behalf of The Lord Vestey, would like to extend its warmest gratitude to our wonderful corporate sponsors of this year’s Patron’s Reception. 

The event, which will be held in Charterhouse in London on 24th March, has attracted over £1,000 in wine and water support – as well as numerous donations of auction items that will be bid for on the evening. 

A Private View to be held at Christie's by invitation of The Lord Vestey has been organised by the Guild of the St John Eye Hospital Group in aid of our work. 

The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group is very pleased to be able to announce that, in 2010, we saw and treated more patients than ever before in our history.

For the first time ever, we treated 102,382 patients across Gaza and the West Bank, which is an increase of 10,000 on our 2009 figures.  We performed 4,184 major, sight-saving operations in 2010 and 34,238 of the patients we treated were under the age of 18.

The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group is looking for a voluntary Fundraising and Communications intern to work at our London based offices in Charterhouse in Farringdon.  We're looking for an ambitious, motivated graduate who want to develop his/her fundraising and communications skills through delivering real pieces of work to a high standard.

The role provides good opportunity to gain fundraising and marketing experience working at the heart of an established international charity. 

Main Responsibilities

Celebrating St John’s Nurses

The St John Eye Hospital has been providing nursing care to the Palestinian people for 128 years.  As a charity, teaching and training nurses is one of our primary objectives and the Hospital’s Sir Stephen Miller School of Nursing has been educating local nurses for more than 40 years.  Our Specialist Ophthalmic Nursing Course makes unique postgraduate training available in the region, and is accredited by the Thames Valley University.  

Thoughts from Our Chief Executive

Within the Hospital Group we employ 93 nurses of various grades, most of whom we have had the privilege of training. Between them, as at the end of August 2010, they have provided us with a total of 1,080 years of service! Quite a statistic – and one that many hospitals around the globe would be extremely envious of.

Our Deputy Chairman celebrates the dedicated service of Sylvia Holmes

A brief word from Mr. John Talbot

It is the mission of St. John Eye Hospital to provide eye care to all those who need it, regardless of their ability to pay.  If ever there was a population that met this criterion, it is the people of the Gaza Strip.

Three of our dedicated staff tell us their own tales…

Nader Ibrahim Hajjaj

Nader Ibrahim Hajjaj is a Licensed Practical Nurse at our Hospital in Hebron.  Nader is one of the few nurses we employ who did not come up through our own training facilities.  Before coming to work with us in 1992, he was at the Al Hada Hospital in Saudi Arabia and then the Bethlehem Government Hospital. 

October Event in Jerusalem

The Order of St. John is an Order of chivalry under the patronage of Her Majesty The Queen.  Honours awarded by the Order are, accordingly, of high status, sanctioned in every case by Her Majesty.  Everyone that works for the Hospital and our patients is scrutinised carefully every year for admission to the Order, or promotion within it.

The St. John Family

A heartfelt thank you – as always – goes out to all those of the St John Family across the world who are raising vital funding for our work.  By mid-September this year, the Priory of England had already donated £242,983, the Priory of the United States had given £112,251, the Priory of Scotland £106,484, the Priory of New Zealand £69,835, the Priory of Canada £69,766 and the Priory of Wales £10,000.

London Recruit Outlines New Strategies

Our Fundraising and Marketing Office in London has a new staff member. Faryal Awan, Fundraising and PR Officer, joined SJEH in June 2010. She has an MSc in Middle East Politics from the Schoolof Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, and has experience volunteering and living in Palestine. She is passionate about healthcare and human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT).   

Durham’s Zoe Howe to visit Hospital

As part of their Freemasonry in the Community programme, The Provincial Priory of Durham, in conjunction with Durham Freemasonry (non Masonic Grants) has sponsored a triennial bursary to send St John Ambulance Cadets to the Eye Hospital in Jerusalem. 

The inaugural bursary was open to those aged 18 to 25, and enrolled as members of the Cadet Section of the St John Ambulance in Durham, with the winner attending the Hospital and West Bank Satellite Clinics to work as a volunteer for a week in May 2011.

Hospital Board Member and International Eye Foundation President, Victoria Sheffield, has been presented with the prestigious Prince Abdulaziz Ahmad Al-Saud International Prevention of Blindness Award.

The award was given on October 17, 2010 at the opening session of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the Middle East Africa Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO) joint meeting in Chicago.

On a June evening in  2010, the Hospital Group Guild were delighted to host an intimate gathering of Hospital supporters and guests at the Frontline Club, London, for a special talk given by Jeremy Bowen, BBC Middle East Editor. The event also marked the launch of the Eye to Eye DVD.

We are hugely grateful to Jeremy who very generously gave his time, and as you can now see from the film of the event, the Guild and guests enjoyed a lively and insightful talk which sparked much interest and debate. 

My wife Esme and I have spent the last week in Jerusalem during which, as well as our usual tour of many different parts of the Eye Hospital Group, we have held a Board meeting, held an Investiture and celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Hospital in Jerusalem.

In a 2009 article for The American Journal of Health, Nava Blum, PhD, and Elizabeth Fee, PhD, write of The St John Eye Hospital: A Bridge for Peace.  Read the article here

More recently, the Hospital has made it to the blogosphere, with writer, producer and filmmaker, Carole Hayman posting her reaction to the recent Channel 4 Dispatches episode on first cousin marriage.  Read her thoughts here

30 July 2010: The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group is pleased to announce the publication of its seminal 2008 Epidemiology Study into Blindness in the occupied Palestinian territory in PloS One, an interactive open-access journal for the communication of all peer-reviewed scientific and medical research.

To view the research article, please click here

Ahmad Ma’ali made St John history on 1 October, 2009, by becoming the first Palestinian and the first male to be appointed to the position of Director of Nursing at the St John Eye Hospital Group. A post traditionally held by Ex-patriot women, his appointment to it marked the beginning of a new era. Talking now, in the Hospital Group’s London office, Ma’áli laughs, “In the nursing department the Palestinians have taken over”.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­I have just returned from Jerusalem.  This report is very overdue but, as my last visit was expected in April and was cancelled because of the Icelandic volcanic activity, I thought it best to delay my report to you until after this trip.

Hospital activity

Since its move to East Jerusalem 50 years ago, The St John Ophthalmic Hospital has evolved into a series of centres of ophthalmic excellence right across the occupied Palestinian territory.

The Eye Hospital Group is most grateful to supporter George Klat, who will run the Marathon du Mont-Blanc to raise funds for our charity on 27th June.  Here, he talks a little about this amazing prospect. 

Lisa Smith took on the challenge and succeeded!

Our Charterhouse Mews office Administration Executive, Ms. Lisa Smith, has successfully run the London Marathon!  On Sunday 25 April, and on behalf of our Charity, Lisa ran the gruelling 26.2 mile course in 5 hours and 18 minutes.

King Abdullah Makes $500,000 Gift Towards Our Services

CEO, Rod Bull, Medical Director, Jeanne Garth, and Director of Nursing, Ahmad Ma’ali, met with the Jordanian Royal Court Chief, Nasser Lozi, at the Royal Palace in Amman on Monday 29 March. The party had been invited to the Palace in order to receive a donation of US$500,000 from Mr Lozi, who presented the gift on behalf of His Majesty King Abdullah II.

A brief word from Mr. John Talbot.
Diabetes and the Need to Expand our Retinal Unit

Refurbishment and enlargement of the Medical Retinal Unit at our Jerusalem Hospital is the focus for this year’s fund raising at the Hospital Group.

In London, it’s that time of year again and our Charterhouse Mews office Administration Executive, Ms. Lisa Smith, has bravely agreed to run the London Marathon, on 25 April, on behalf of our Charity. Here, Lisa explains why…

As we shall see elsewhere in this edition, the St John Eye Hospital Group has much to celebrate as 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of our main hospital building in East Jerusalem. Always responsive to the environment and to how we can best help those who most need our charitable services, the Jerusalem Hospital has found itself literally having to shift location three times during its 128 year history.

Following the success of their wonderful Concert at Cadogan Hall on September 16th 2009, the Guild – with the financial assistance of an anonymous benefactor – have produced a commemorative DVD of the event to support the valuable fundraising work of the Hospital Group.

A colossal thank you goes out to all those of the St John Family who raised funds for us during 2009.

The final league table of supporters is now in and an impressive one it is too! In 2009, the Priory of England donated £400,106, the Priory of the United States gave us £343,560 and the Priory of Scotland, £113,982. The Priories of New Zealand, Canada, Australia and New South Wales and Wales donated, £61,680, £49,157, £27,102 and £25,000 respectively.

In our Winter 09 edition, Head of Fundraising and Marketing, Ms Nicky Wynne, wrote a brief article touching upon a new fund- and awareness raising initiative, the Interfaith Project. This is currently being developed into an ongoing programme of discourse, which we hope to formally launch later this year.

In our Winter 09 Edition, Jerusalem Scene paid tribute to Jacqueline Jaidy, who retired as Matron at the end of September.

Here, we welcome Mrs. Jaidy’s replacement, Mr. Ahmad Ma’ali, to the role of Director of Nursing for the Hospital Group.

As we begin a new year at the Hospital Group – and launch a new appeal for your assistance, it seemed like the perfect time to ask our CEO, Mr Rod Bull, to set down for us some of the finer points of a typical day at our Jerusalem Hospital. Here is what he had to say…

As 2010 is the Golden Anniversary of our current main Hospital building in Sheikh Jarrah, in this first Jerusalem Scene of the new year, we launch our Annual Appeal, based around the expansion of the building itself.

As well as taking a look back over some of the milestones of our last 50 years in East Jerusalem, we ask for your help in raising the money needed to expand the Hospital’s increasingly important Retinal Unit.

The 18th of February 2010 was an important day in the history of the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group. Attended by the Grand Prior, HRH The Duke of Gloucester, it was the official opening of the Group's new offices at Charterhouse Mews in London – and the beginning of a new chapter in its history. By complete coincidence it would also have been the 70th birthday of Robert Krehl, without whose exceptional generosity the day could not have been possible. Krehl’s generous gift, shortly before he died, means that the Eye Hospital Group now has a permanent, rent-free office space in London.

On 10 November, the Jerusalem Hospital was delighted to play host to Saeb Erekat, the Palestinians' chief negotiator with Israel, when he was met by CEO, Rod Bull, Medical Director, Jeanne Garth and Director of Nursing, Ahmad Ma'ali.  Mrs Salwa Qunnam, the Palestinian Authority’s Deputy Minister for Women’s Affairs also visited the Hospital.

Our Chairman, Mr John Talbot, visited the Hospital in Jerusalem in December.  Here, he provides us with a brief review of 2009 and a look ahead to events in 2010. 

Jacqueline Jaidy By Ann Zawahreh

Matron and Director of Nursing, Mrs. Jacqueline Jaidy took her leave as a staff member of the St. John family with her retiral at the end of September. Here her long-time colleague pays tribute to an esteemed friend.

The Prem Rawat Foundation supports the work of the St. John Eye Hospital Group

The St. John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group is pleased to announce a second award from the Prem Rawat Foundation in the United States. In 2008, the Hospital Group received $20,000 (US) to help support vital work in Gaza.  This year the amount donated has increased significantly to $25,000, and will help support the Group’s children’s services throughout the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT).

On 8 October this year, how many of us were aware that the world was focussed on women’s eye-health?

To mark the occasion of World Sight Day – and its theme this year of, “Gender And Eye Health” – Jerusalem Scene decided to devote its Winter 09 edition to examining some of the ways in which blindness particularly affects women and – also – at how the St John Eye Hospital Group works with the female population in the OPT.

St John Ambulance working with the Eye Hospital Group

At the time of going to press, the Guild and all at the Eye Hospital Group’s London office were gearing up for our annual fundraising jamboree, the Gift of Sight Fair.

In honour of World Sight Day this year, in this edition of Jerusalem Scene wetake a look at how impaired vision affects women in the OPT and what we are doing to help.

The treatment of the female population in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.

The movement restrictions ubiquitous throughout the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT) particularly affect women. In the OPT, women unaccompanied by a male relative may not be permitted to travel at all, while the daily negotiation of obstacles and checkpoints disincentivizes male travel.

Stability has been achieved on the financial front, and solid progress made in many other areas within the Group. There have been feelings of joy, deep sadness, frustration, heartache and occasional disappointment. Overall there have been many more positive vibrations than negative! It’s good to move forward, together.

It was with great shock that Jerusalem Scene and all at the St John Eye Hospital Group learned of the death of Priory Scotland Hospitaller, Dr John Calvert, who passed away on Sunday 4th October, while on a visit to the Hospital in Jerusalem.

Khawla is a 65 year old lady from the village of Beita near Nablus. She has suffered from cataracts for more than two years but was reluctant to seek help because of her difficult financial situation. Her husband, who is 85 years old, has not worked for many years, and has very low vision himself.

19yr old Dua’a is from the Balata refugee camp in Nablus. Her family, originally from a village near Haifa, were made refugees in 1948. Although very short sighted, Dua’a was a bright child at school and was able to begin studying for a degree in Physics at the Al Najjar University in Nablus.

The St. John Family

Thank you again to all those of the St John Family who raise funds for us.

Up until mid-September, the Priory of England had donated £127,674, with a further £58,867 pledged. The Priory of the United States has given us £93,557 and the Priories of Scotland, Canada , New Zealand and Wales have given £83,666, £43,542, £61,680 and £10,000 respectively.

Some of the magnificent award of $304,000 (£186,899) from the Peace for Children Foundation in Sharjah that we told you about last time has been used to support our children’s services. Between April and September this year we were able to treat more than 10,000 children below the age of 18 as a direct result of this award.

In London , Trust and Foundation donations up until the middle of September amount to £631,613, with a further £28,335 pledged. The department as a whole has so far brought in a whopping £1,140,685!

Thanks to two of our key corporate supporters, one of whom is a new donor, we have been able, over the past few months, to further develop our fundraising work in The United Arab Emirates (UAE).

More and more people in the OPT than ever before need our help in the fight against impaired vision – and the poverty and ignorance that go hand in hand with it.

Regular giving by Direct Debit is a great way to partner with the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group by donating a regular amount each month. In doing so, you stand with us as a regular, committed supporter in our goal of eliminating preventable eye disease in the Holy Land.

A brief word from Mr. John Talbot

It is with great regret that I have to report the death of Robert Ehringer Krehl.

When 44 year old Khawla noticed a sudden deterioration of vision in her left eye, she waited six months before going to our Anabta Centre for treatment. The vision in the right eye had already deteriorated. When she finally did manage to see our staff, it was discovered that she has unstable diabetes and diabetic retinopathy in both eyes. Her left eye had also developed a cataract.

With spectacles she could see half way down the eye chart, but could not afford to buy the spectacles to enable herself to see better.

It was with great shock and sadness that all at the St John Eye Hospital Group learned of the death of Priory Scotland Hospitaller, Dr John Calvert, who passed away on Sunday 4th October, while on a visit to the Hospital in Jerusalem.

A 60 second interview with London Marathon runners Nicky Wynne and Alexandra Burrough

Nicky Wynne and Alex Burrough of our London Office successfully completed the 2009 London Marathon on 26 April! Running on behalf of The Guild, Nicky and Alex raised a staggering £6,500 for our charity through sponsorship and the generous encouragement of many St John Eye Hospital supporters.

7.30pm, 16 September 2009 Cadogan Hall, London

Gala premiere in aid of the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group

Registered charity, the Orr Mackintosh Foundation has set up a scheme called ShareGift, which provides a solution to the problem of unwanted small shareholdings.

Even if you have only one or two shares, ShareGift can help you dispose of them charitably.

One year ago, in our Summer ’08 edition of Jerusalem Scene, we brought you the story of baby Malak Dweik from Gaza.

Baby Malak was diagnosed with cancer of her left eye at 12 months and was treated at the Nobel Peace Prize nominated Hadassah Medical Center in West Jerusalem. With Malak now aged two years, we bring you up-to-date with this bitter/sweet tale.

The historic and unrelenting political stalemate that prevails in the region undermines any progress towards peace and has resulted in persistent de-development. On-going hostilities obstruct the provision and development of a system of public services for ordinary people – including vital health services – and precipitate the need for humanitarian assistance.

In this Summer Edition of Jerusalem Scene, we concentrate on children, bringing you an update on the story of baby Malek Dweik and a short article on our work with children, written from the medical perspective by Chairman John Talbot. We start below with an appeal for your help – and wish you a wonderful, long, warm summer!

Unfortunately, due to lack of response, the 10 day trip to the Holy Land will not be happening this year. However, we are still promoting the trip to the Great Wall of China.

20 Years `of Service Jerusalem Scene could not let the occasion of 20 years service at St John Eye Hospital, Jerusalem pass without gratefully acknowledging the unstinting support of key staff member, Orthoptist Siw Westman.

Hospital staff in Jerusalem celebrated St John’s Day (24 June) with their traditional Communion Service in the Hospital Chapel. Two priests from the Priory in the U.S., Canon Bill Broughton and Canon Samir Habibe, oversaw the service.

As I write, already a third of the year has rapidly slipped by. I am pleased to report that the Hospital Group is coping despite the financial downturn which is, as expected, having an affect on the donations we receive.

At the beginning of May this year, the St John Eye Hospital, Jerusalem was most grateful to consultant ophthalmic surgeon Mr Tony Tyers, who visited the hospital for 10 days to volunteer his considerable skills.

A ‘Fashion Show’, organized by Guild member, Denise Magauran, was held on Wednesday, April 8 in the wonderful Royal College of Medicine.  The event celebrated the gorgeous clothing range by Designer, Beatrice von Tresckow and raised substantial funding for our charity.  St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital would like to thank The Guild for their hard work in realizing this event and for raising so much money!  To see photos from the wonderful evening please go to www.verityspace.com.

Access to Gaza continues to be extremely difficult – as it has been for the past two years – so we were particularly grateful this month (April 2009) for the help of the British Consulate in obtaining permits for three of our Jerusalem staff to enter Gaza for the first time since 2007.

The St. John Family

Our heartfelt thanks go out, once again, to those of the St John Family who raise funds for us and help to make the work that we do possible.

For several years now, access for patients from the West Bank to the St John Eye  Hospital in Jerusalem has become increasingly difficult, and the bureaucracy involved can be distressing and prohibitive for many of our patients, Many of them are either old or very young, which complicates the issue even more.

The mission of The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group is to provide ophthalmic care of the highest quality and relevance to the people of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, irrespective of race, religion, social class or ability to pay. We are the only Ophthalmic charity provider to the Palestinian people, where they can access essential health care free of charge.

Within the St John Eye Hospital Group, our staff members are our most important assets and we are indeed fortunate to enjoy the benefits of having a long serving, loyal and dedicated workforce committed to achieving the goals of our mission.

Our mission is to provide ophthalmic care of the highest quality and relevance to the people of Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank, irrespective of ethnicity, religion, social class or ability to pay. We are the only Ophthalmic charity provider to the Palestinian people, where they can access essential health care free of charge.

Dr Jom'a El Jazzar's Report

"The conflict started with concentrated air strikes at 11:30 am on the 27th December. For 22 days there was continuous air, artillery and naval bombardment throughout the day and night... There were many casualties."

in the fight against avoidable blindness.

There can be little doubt that all of the St John Eye Hospital Group staff are integral to the successful execution of the charitable aims that we are all working towards. They are at the forefront, working hard to help those less fortunate than many of us. During the recent conflict in Gaza, they were also on the frontline.

The Order of St John Ladies' Guild was formed in 1928 by Queen Mary, its aim to work in support of the charitable endeavours of the Eye Hospital in Jerusalem.

We were delighted that, in view of recent events, His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester, The Grand Prior, graciously agreed to attend a very special event on our behalf.

Our Chairman, John Talbot, would like to thank the preceding Lord Mayor of London, Alderman David Lewis for hosting a reception on our behalf at The Mansion House, London on Friday October 24 last year.

Walk for Sight

"Charity Challenge is the UK’s leading adventure travel company specialising exclusively in the organisation, leadership and administration of inspirational fundraising expeditions."

A brief word from Mr. John Talbot

The St. John Eye Hospital Group has had a succession of very successful years. We have seen increasing numbers of needy patients - almost 95,000 in 2008 - performed more and more operations and have, until recently, balanced the financial books relatively easily.

£1,400/ $2,000 Corneal Grafting

Rest assured that at this difficult time, every donation, no matter how small, is vital to the continued success of our services.

World financial crisis threatens new Hospital

Hebron is an ancient biblical town high in the southern mountainous region of the West Bank.  It is venerated by Christians and Muslims, and is the second holiest site for Jews (after the Temple Mount in Jerusalem), all of whose traditions maintain that four Biblical couples are buried there: Adam and Eve; Abraham and Sarah; Isaac and Rebekah; Jacob and Leah.

We were delighted to announce in July that our clinic in Hebron was to be renamed the St. John Eye Hospital – Hebron.  This gives much deserved recognition to the first-rate work carried out there by our team, led by Dr Ibrahim Sawalhi and ably assisted by Dr Riad Bannayout and Nurse Practitioner Ghandi Modieh. 

Baby Malak, sixteen months old, lives in Gaza with her parents, two sisters and brother.  Fortunately Malak’s mother, Fatmeh, quickly realized that her baby daughter had problems with her vision and took her to see the doctors in our Gaza Clinic.

Have you ever fancied exploring the Grand Canyon or following in the footsteps of the Massai? Well now you can – and raise money for St. John Eye Hospital Group at the same time.

I am privileged to have been entrusted by the Order of St John with the care of its Hospital for the last 6 years. In 2002 the hospital company and its newly formed board was only 3 years old. Many of the difficulties resulting from the establishment of the Hospital as a separate charity and as a wholly owned subsidiary company of the Order had been addressed by my predecessor Noel Rice. He established the platform upon which we were able to build.

St. John Eye Hospital is pleased to announce the appointment of two new members of the fundraising team in London.  Geof Jarvis takes over from Jesper Petersen as Trusts and Appeals Manager and Alexandra Burrough is the new Fundraising and Marketing Officer.

Raise money for the Eye Hospital by surfing the net.

We cross the Erez checkpoint and enter the Gaza Strip. The scale of devastation is immediately visible.

To our left, an industrial estate has been brutally levelled to the ground. Further ahead, acres of fields – once cultivating vegetables for internal and export consumption – lay barren.  

In June 2008 Lord Vestey steps down as Chairman of the Board of Directors of St John Eye Hospital, Jerusalem having served for 6 years. He was appointed Lord Prior of The Order of St John in 1990 and during his 12-year tenure of office, developed a special interest in Hospital affairs. On taking up appointment as Board Chairman, he took a personal interest in fund raising, calling on his many contacts to generate support from new donors and additional support from those already giving.

While delivering her baby, Bilal’s mother suffered from a lack of oxygen, which had negatively affected her baby boy Bilal, and in turn affected his vision.

Gaza City
20 May, 2008

What is life like in Gaza at present?

Denise Magauran, former Chief Surgeon at the Jerusalem Hospital, returns voluntarily on an annual basis.  She was recently a Consultant on the Epidemiology Research project.  Here are some of her thoughts:

Following some months of providing a limited Viteroretinal (VR) service, we are extremely pleased to welcome Consultant VR Surgeon, Dr Kathrin Greiner to St John.

VR surgery comprises the diagnosis and treatment of retinal disease (in the innermost part of the eye), for example diabetic retinopathy. As many of our patients suffer from these eye diseases, it is an essential part of the comprehensive service that we provide.

On the 8th February, the Hospital was honoured to welcome the Japanese Ambassador Yoshinori Katori. The Ambassador undertook a tour of the facilities and signed a contract confirming his government's commitment to donating US$79,000 for the purchase of a state-of-the-art digital fundus FFA photography system. We are very excited by this because it is the first time the Hospital has received financial support from Japan.

In November 2007 representatives from over 40 countries gathered in Annapolis, Maryland, for the first major Israel-Palestine peace talks in seven years. The two sides issued an ambitious and optimistic joint statement signed by Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas. The Israeli and Palestinian leaders committed themselves to negotiate a peace treaty by the end of 2008 – and set a deadline for ending the conflict.

Friday 14th of December will not be forgotten for a long time by those in and around Jerusalem. And certainly not by the staff and patients at St John Eye Hospital.

2007 marked the 125th Anniversary of the Hospital’s mission – to preserve the gift of sight for the marginalised communities. The special year was completed with a Royal visit when TRH The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester came to Jerusalem.

On November 29th former Home Secretary, David Blunkett, visited St John Eye Hospital. He was in East Jerusalem in connection with his work for Labour Friends of Israel.

During his visit Mr Blunkett had the chance to meet with Professor Saul Merin, who briefed him on the Eye Hospital’s Joint Training Programme and our strong medical links with the Israeli Hadassah Hospital.

To celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the existence of St. John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital, we were lucky enough to have Her Majesty, The Queen, Sovereign Head of the Order of St. John, and H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh attend the Chairman’s Reception at St. John's Gate, in March 2008.

In line with the World Health Organisation’s global initiative ‘VISION 2020: the Right to Sight, St John Eye Hospital will undertake a new major study to determine the prevalence of total and preventable adult blindness in the Palestinian Territories.

We are delighted to announce that we have employed a Head of Fundraising & Marketing. Nicky Wynne BA(Hons)MA will operate from our London office and she and her team will focus on developing further our external fundraising and communication work.

Eight-year old Anas lives with his family in the village of Qasra, near Nablus in the North of the West Bank.

Sadly, he suffers from squint and often found his daily school work very demanding. Anas has already undergone surgery for his condition on two separate occasions and in early October was due to receive further surgery, at our main Hospital in Jerusalem.

2007 is the 125th anniversary of the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital.

To celebrate this, we are launching our International Patient Relief Appeal.

At the end of December, our Hospitaller Anthony Chignell and the Deputy Lord Prior, Captain Norman Lloyd Edwards, visited Malta with the Hospital Icon.

On 7th February a visit to the Hospital was undertaken by the Foreign Secretary the Rt Hon Mrs Margaret Beckett MP. This was arranged by the British Consul-General and his staff and was a resounding success. The Foreign Secretary formally declared open our newly-renovated Male Ward which was made possible with the generosity of the British Government, the Pontifical Mission and a number of individual donors.

We are delighted to announce that Dr Jeanne Garth has been confirmed as our new medical director. Jeanne fully deserves this promotion and we all look forward to supporting her in her new responsibilities.