The shareholders' meeting approved the social report of Pro Terra Sancta for the year 2022 that you can download at this link. All the staff in Italy and in the Middle East is grateful to each of you for the precious and concrete help that also this year you have not made us lack, despite the economic difficulties we are facing.
"We remain in touch with an enormous need that sometimes seems overwhelming, making our efforts appear insignificant," says Tommaso Saltini, general director of the Pro Terra Sancta Association, and continues: "However, our experience, rooted in faith, shows us that small drops of goodness can overcome very badly."
This good is made possible also thanks to the commitment and attachment of an army of donors who have supported our works in the Middle East for many years. Qui a lato, un breve focus sui numeri e risultati direttamente dal nostro bilancio sociale.
Pro Terra Sancta is involved in Conservation and Development projects, Education and Assistance, Emergency Aid and Socio-entrepreneurial Activities. The latter area is the most recent and is constantly growing. For example, the Work In Progress (WIP) project in Lebanon has been a great success, and is enthusiastically preparing for a new edition. Parallel to the new projects, those that have long been rooted in the Holy Land and continue to bear fruit continue. We mention in this regard the conservation and development project of Bethany, the Terra Sancta Museum and the support of the poorest in the Greek islands of Rhodes and Kos, in Jordan and Egypt.
As shown by the Social Report, last year, 86,647 people were directly helped by our projects thanks to almost 60,000 donations from individuals, public and private institutions and hundreds of associations.
Behind these figures there are the stories of boys and girls, boys and girls who have seen their right to study and family recognized. Young people and parents who have rediscovered dignity through work and vocational training programs close to the elderly and disabled who with the care and love of so many people are no longer alone.
The words of Fr. Francesco Patton, ofm
The Holy Land is also Syria and Lebanon, two countries very dear to us, inhabited by many people of heart who immediately became friends. Corruption, violence, degradation and poverty facilitate exploitation and close the doors of the future to millions of young people. Pro Terra Sancta's response to crises has never been lacking: in Lebanon, following the explosion of the port in August 2020, we helped 10,519 people and 37,647 in martyred Syria.
In Palestine and Israel, a land that unfortunately seems to have become addicted to violence and hatred, Pro Terra Sancta and brings hope nourished by cooperation projects, knowledge of the territory, interreligious dialogue, studies on art and cultural heritage. "A common cultural heritage that nourishes wounded souls and fosters bonds between people," says Tommaso Saltini.
Fr. Francesco Patton, Custos of the Holy Land and President of the Pro Terra Sancta Association, in reaffirming the commitment and the route for the future, expressed once again gratitude for the support of all of you, which contributes to the realization of their mission. "Our mission is to give everyone the opportunity to see and touch the places where Jesus lived, died and rose for us. They are the places that remind us that what the Apostles proclaimed and that the Church has transmitted to us over the centuries is true, giving meaning and fullness to our lives".
You can find the complete letter of Fra Francesco Patton, Tommaso Saltini and all the data for 2022 by downloading the Social Report here.
Let us continue together to create bonds between the Holy Land and the world!
