VIDEO: A young boy and his father experience the joy of moving around with a new walker they received at the Seeds of Hope clinic!
Last week saw the return of one of our most popular community outreach events at Seeds of Hope! Our annual mobility and vision clinics were finally back in action after the pandemic prevented the team from visiting for several years.
Each year, we host a week-long clinic for adults and children in the community to see specialists and get fitted for wheelchairs and other mobility aids. This is paired with a vision clinic where people can have their eyes examined and get new glasses.
For the last few years, the team has been unable to travel to Jericho. Instead, they raised funds to send a shipping container of wheelchairs, walkers, and canes. These shipments still helped hundreds of people each year, but it was a difficult process, and we were eager to have them back in person.
Led by Phil and Drucie, this team has been hosting clinics in Jericho for close to ten years. They see many of the same patients each year who return for wheelchair repairs or refitting as their children grow. After several challenges, they weren’t sure if this year’s trip would be possible, but they were determined to get the annual clinics back up and running.
“It seemed impossible,” said Phil. “But we prayed, reached out to others, and raised the funding needed to buy wheelchairs and walkers for the clinics in such a short period of time. It was clear that this was not our doing, but God was keeping the door open to returning. All we did was walk through it.”
Even though they had to bring a smaller team, the clinics were still an incredible success! Over the course of two weeks, we gave out over 3,500 prescription glasses and sunglasses and consulted with around 370 people at the mobility clinic, from young children to the elderly. People flock to our clinics because the quality of care is better than anything most people have access to in the region.
PHOTOS: Which would you rather sit in? This is a great example of the kind chairs people arrive in, and the kind they leave in!
“As it turns out, it wasn’t the number of people that mattered,” said Fuad Jaddou, Community Outreach Director at Seeds of Hope. “It was the heart, passion, and spirit behind it all. What came together was such a success—and thankfully so because the community was desperate to see it happen again.”
PHOTO: Dale spent hours building a chair for this boy from a nearby refugee camp. He has never been able to go to school, but now he can push his own chair and be more mobile and independent.
Muhammad Tahayna brought his eight-year-old son, who was completely paralyzed, to the clinic for the first time. “Thank you very much,” Muhammad told us. “My son received his very first wheelchair today. It fits him perfectly, and he’s so comfortable in it. I’ve never seen people who care this way, who work in such a professional manner, with love and respect for all they serve.”
One of the things we pride ourselves on in all our clinics is that everyone gets treated equally. No matter how rich or poor, someone’s religion or personal background, everyone who seeks help from Seeds of Hope is treated with respect and love. Volunteers sometimes spend hours with one person getting their wheelchair just right or finding a part to fix a complicated issue, but they are patient with each situation and ensure that every person has what they need.
Favoritism is a prevalent aspect of Middle Eastern culture. Many families we serve are accustomed to being overlooked or bypassed in favor of people of higher status and wealth. But at Seeds of Hope, everyone is equal and receives care for free—a fact that shocks many visitors.
“The other shocking thing was that it was all free!” Muhammad remarked about his son’s new wheelchair. “I could not believe we received all that attention and a chair, and we did not need to pay anything! God bless you all.”
This week was transformational for the thousands of people who visited our clinics, but we know that’s just the beginning. We’re planting seeds of hope, love, and light with every person and family we interact with. We believe the relationships started this week will grow to transform our community and, hopefully, our world.
Thank you for your ongoing support that makes this kind of community outreach possible at Seeds of Hope. And a special thank you to this project team for their long history of support and care for the people of the Holy Land.
