The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, in cooperation of the Holy Family Parish, launched the job creation and capacity building program in the Gaza Strip, according to Fides News Agency on July 8, 2019. Nine months later, the 20 Christian youth benefiting from the program are reaping the fruits of their work and seeing the new career prospects of this project. Started in October 2018, the program has completed the first phase of training and apprenticeship – which lasted 9 months. The work start-up program was able to accommodate only a third out of 60 applicants that submitted their candidacy for the program, and fill in positions in religious, educational, social, medical and development institutions, such as those carried out by the Aisha Association for the protection of women and minors, for a period of 12 months.
The realization of this program would not have been possible without the generous donation of the German Knights and Dames of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher, which aims to enrich the work experience of young Christians in the economically and socially depressed context of the Gaza Strip. A context – underlines Saher Kawas on the official website of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem – which sees many young people who have feelings of frustration, as well as the dream of emigrating to look elsewhere for a more dignified future. «Having a job gives me hope. Before getting this opportunity, I used to stay at home thinking of the situations here. Now I am thinking of how to develop myself and improve my skills,» said Maiysa Khoury, a 25-year-old involved in the project, who has now found a job as a pharmacist.
