23 December 2016
Dear friend,
This is my last word as CEO of MAP. I am retiring at the end of the year after four years at the helm.
I leave an organisation which is reaching out to more Palestinians than ever before, with exciting new programmes and partnerships across the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon – work all made possible thanks to the generosity of supporters like you.
I also leave at the end of another turbulent and troubling year for Palestinians, and indeed the entire Middle East.
Israel has carried out an unprecedented number of demolitions of Palestinian homes and structures in the West Bank this year, leaving entire families facing a cold and uncertain winter. In Gaza the blockade continues to stifle livelihoods and 60,000 remain homeless, still awaiting the reconstruction of homes destroyed in the 2014 attacks.
Palestinians also continue to suffer the consequences of Syria’s civil war. Bombs, torture, the besieging of Yarmouk, and perilous migration routes to Europe have claimed over 3,400 Palestinian lives. The tens of thousands who have settled in Lebanon now share the same poverty and exclusion as the country’s existing Palestinian refugee population.
Amid this bleak scene, MAP continues to be a small but vital beacon of hope for Palestinians across the region.
During the last four years, it has been my privilege to witness the unwavering commitment and courage of our teams as they deliver essential healthcare to Palestinians in the harshest of circumstances.
This year alone, MAP has helped establish a permanent, Palestinian-run Limb Reconstruction Unit at Shifa Hospital in Gaza. This team has saved limbs and restored mobility for people affected by the 2014 attacks, and will be ready should Gaza be bombarded again.
Across the West Bank, we have begun training a new generation of Family Medicine specialists, who will provide holistic, life-long care to Palestinian families. In Lebanon, thanks to MAP’s psychosocial support project, many Palestinian children traumatised by war and displacement now have safe places to recover and play.
These are just a few examples of the scope and diversity of our programmes, ranging from emergency assistance on the one hand to programmes building long-term capacity on the other.
All of this is possible only thanks to the support of people like you. Thank you.
As my time at MAP ends, a political solution which provides health and dignity for Palestinians seems as far away as ever. But I leave secure in the knowledge that MAP will continue to stand up for the needs of Palestinians.
I send you my very best wishes for Christmas, with the hope of a brighter year in 2017.
Tony
Tony Laurance, MAP CEO