BETHLEHEM, West Bank, Dec. 18 – CURE International, a U.S.-based Christian medical NGO, today broke ground for a $16.5 million state-of-the art medical training center and hospital in the Shepherd’s Field in Bethlehem. This cooperative project involving Christians, Muslims and Jews is a model for peace in the region that will provide the first specialty surgical care available to Palestinian children in the West Bank.

Dr. Scott Harrison, president and CEO of CURE International, was joined on the platform by the Governor of Bethlehem and the Mayor of the surrounding Beit Sahour municipality for an hour-long ceremony attended by nearly 150 local dignitaries and residents. The event ended with a ceremonial tree-planting and prayers from religious leaders of several faiths, including Protestant, Greek Orthodox and Muslim.

“As the world focuses on bringing peace to this volatile region, CURE International is leading the way as an agent of reconciliation by building a hospital to bring desperately needed healing, hope and transformation for children and their families throughout the West Bank,” said Dr. Harrison.

“We don’t need to wait for national leaders to come to an agreement on how to work out their problems,” Dr. Harrison added. “Today, we can begin working together on this cardiac and orthopedic hospital that fills a major need in the West Bank, where medical care is severely limited.”

According to Dr. Harrison, there are 350 million disabled children in the world. CURE International focuses on the 140 million who can be cured, providing care by training nationals to be experts in care provision.

“This place is not only the Shepherd’s Field, but we are also the shepherds of our Arab Christian tradition and heritage, of which we are proud,” said His Excellency Salah Al-Ta’mari, Governor of Bethlehem. “This project is crucial in fulfilling our society’s needs – and those of our children – and cooperation is essential.

“Bethlehem is not just a holy place, it is a message of peace, tolerance, freedom and acceptance of all people – we set the example for co-existence,” Gov. Al-Ta’mari continued. “God bless the cooperative efforts of all of the people on this project, which will help us overcome the occupation history to ensure peace for our future.”

The Honorable Hani Al-Hayek, Mayor of Beit Sahour Municipality surrounding the hospital site, added, “Our message is, ‘This is the peace. This project represents the first private U.S. development in the West Bank. If we can change and enhance the lives of our people, it will make a difference, accomplish good and serve as a model to the world for how to make peace.”

The Bethlehem facility, CURE’s 13th worldwide, represents a dimension of the mission that Dr. Harrison did not anticipate when he founded the organization 10 years ago to help children in developing nations. In moving into the West Bank, CURE leadership hopes to build bridges of understanding to the Muslim world – a vision they have aggressively embraced after opening a successful hospital and clinic in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2005 and acquiring another hospital in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, last year.

CURE also operates teaching hospitals in the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda and Zambia. In addition, the organization is planning to build new hospitals in Egypt, Ethiopia and Niger over the next two years.

CURE International is a Christian non-profit organization committed to the physical and spiritual healing of disabled children in developing countries. CURE International transforms the lives of children and their families, serving all by establishing specialty teaching hospitals, building partnerships and advocating for those who need healing. To date, CURE has performed 41,000 surgeries and treated more than 600,000 patients. For more information visit www.helpcurenow.com.

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