What’s Happening in the West Bank? An update from the Jerusalem Princess Basma Centre
2024 has been an extraordinarily difficult year so far for all our partners in the West Bank as tensions, restrictions and violence continue to increase. The Jerusalem Princess Basma Centre (JBPC) provides specialist disability support to children across the West Bank. The team recently gave us an update on what the year has been like for them so far.
TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS
Much of the JPBC’s work is done through partner clinics across the West Bank - but checkpoints and security risks have made it increasingly difficult for their medical Outreach Team to reach and assess their patients. They told us:
“Travel to Jerusalem and around the West Bank continues to be challenging and at times dangerous. There are additional checkpoints within the West Bank to navigate and sometimes our team have been waiting at checkpoints to re-enter Jerusalem for over 4 hours. Jenin and Tulkarm have been especially difficult to reach and so no clinical assessments have been possible of children there so far this year. But clinicians at these centres have been supported online… [and] we have extended our Telemedicine services this year to patients [to provide online consultations and treatment].
Despite the difficulties, since the start of the year the JPBC Outreach Team has successfully made 28 outreach visits to partner clinics across the West Bank … to assess over 300 children with disabilities.
Families are so relieved and grateful when we reach their village because of the difficulties of accessing these areas and the time it can take. Many parents show their commitment to receiving these services because they too often have to travel to reach their local rehabilitation centre. It is testament to the strong partnership between families and our centre that parents continue to seek treatment for their children and are prepared to make the difficult journey to reach us and that our Outreach Team continue to find ways to reach those outlying towns and villages.”
INCREASED DEMAND FOR MEDICAL SERVICES
Once at the centres, the Outreach Team assess the children’s needs (or progress, if they are already receiving support) and individual treatment plans are devised or updated. Some are supported with a range of therapies provided at the local centres – including speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy. Those with more complex needs are enrolled into a 2-3 week residential programme at the Princess Basma Child Rehabilitation Centre in Jerusalem for intensive treatment, followed by ongoing support. This year, the Outreach Team has seen a significant increase in demand for their services:
“We would normally arrange assessment appointments for 10-12 families a day for our assessment clinics at our partner centres but nowadays paediatric intermediate services in the West Bank are decreasing due to financial constraints and so we now see up to 17 children and their families in one day. The need is great and so we cannot refuse anyone.”
Some children are referred to the Princess Basma Child Rehabilitation Centre in Jerusalem. Amara (pictured - not her real name) received a 3-week residential course of treatment at the JPBC, after having a stroke at the age of 5.
A RISE IN PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA
Many of the families supported by JPBC are now not just facing the challenges of living with a disability in a part of the world where disability support is limited. They, like everyone else in the West Bank, are having to cope with the consequences of escalating tension, IDF raids and settler violence, and an acute economic crisis caused by movement restrictions, lack of tourists and increasing land confiscations.
“The JPBC staff are increasingly working with families and children in trauma and distress... Many continue to experience losses of different kinds: loss of jobs and livelihoods, loss of community gatherings and means of support, loss of hope and wellbeing. However, the Outreach Team have worked with local centres, consistently urging families to continue to bring their children for assessments to ensure that the cycle of treatment is not interrupted.”
To help with the increased psychological trauma, this year the JPBC have added music therapy to their programme:
A music therapy session.
“These days, we believe that psychosocial support is needed more than ever, with so many families struggling economically and emotionally on account of the war. Music Therapy is one intervention which we use, as we can see the benefits immediately in the faces of the children and their mothers.
Jamal* and Ashraf* are two children, who, with their mother and grandmother have benefited from this support this month. They are both from Hebron. Jamal's grandmother says:
‘I have always believed in the importance of music. From the very beginning, we have always listened to music at home. The difference here is that Jamal now uses it with other children and mothers, which has encouraged him to be social and interact more.’
Ashraf's mother told us:
‘Music therapy is as much for the mothers as for the children. It gives us great relief and supports our relationship with our children and the other mothers and children in the room. It is important and I will also use this type of therapy at home by following the techniques we learn here at the Basma Centre.’
Music therapy has proven to be a transformative tool in the rehabilitation process. It not only promotes the physical and social development of the children, but also provides emotional support and bonding with the parents.”
At Embrace, we are humbled and inspired by the extraordinary resilience of the staff at the JPBC. Their courage and dedication mean children living with disabilities in the West Bank are still getting access to the treatment they need, even in these extraordinarily difficult times.
As the security and economic situation continues to deteriorate across the West Bank our partners continue to respond to the increasing needs. In the North, East Jerusalem YMCA are responding to the crisis in Jenin and Tulkarm caused by the recent military incursion while in Bethlehem our partner, Pontifical Mission for Palestine are preparing to respond to the growing economic crisis through an emergency employment project.
During this time of crisis we ask that you keep all our West Bank partners, and the people they are serving, in your prayers. We also encourage you to write to your MP and Bishop and ask them to call on the government to take action to ensure a just and peaceful solution to the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the West Bank. You can find our latest template letters here.
* Names changed