At the Pro Terra Sancta center in Damascus there is a Social and Emergency Center that deals with the distribution of vouchers for the purchase of basic necessities, as well as offering support to various local welfare and educational realities .
Thanks to the vouchers, beneficiaries can buy food, medicines, money to cover the costs of electricity and heating, clothes, detergents and hygiene products, as well as baby products such as diapers and powdered milk; To do this, the Centre has established agreements with a dozen local groceries and pharmacies.
The beneficiaries of the aid are identified according to different criteria: they are chosen on the basis of financial situation and the number of family members , giving preference to frail people such as the elderly and widows with dependent children.
Food distribution helped 1,636 people, while electricity and heating costs covered 1,980. 898 people were supported through rent payments, 584 through the distribution of medicines. Childcare products helped 300 families, scholarships and the provision of school supplies offered support to 265 students; A total of 189 were the beneficiaries of financial aid to cover the costs of surgical operations and medical expenses.
Next to the Help Center in Damascus, the WIP project is active to help young people who have an idea for a business to carry out in the area: to find out more, you can visit the page dedicated to the project.
Through the Pro Terra Santa Emergency Center, it supports various local works:
Tabbaleh Reception and Medical Care Center
The Franciscan center in Tabbaleh houses seriously ill patients who have to undergo long-term medical treatment at hospitals in Damascus, and offers them shelter and medical assistance. Pro Terra Sancta helps the centre by covering the costs of part of the medical treatment and the arrangement of the rooms in the structure, as well as through the purchase of medicines and the guarantee of at least one hot meal a day. At the moment, the center houses 100 sick people; The joint project aims to increase the number of people that can be accommodated and assisted.
Tabbaleh Memorial Kindergarten
In Tabbaleh there is also a kindergarten run by the Custody of the Holy Land and the Franciscan Sisters of the CIM; It is located at the Franciscan convent complex, and has 6 classrooms in which children from 2.5 to 5 years old are welcomed. There are 140 children attending kindergarten; The kindergarten also employs 10 teachers and 2 local employees who take care of secretarial services and cleaning and maintenance work on the facility.In the premises of the kindergarten and convent, psychological support and art therapy activities are also offered to young people and adolescents, which benefit about 100 young people from the poor neighborhoods of Damascus.
St. George's Kindergarten in Maaloula
Maaloula is a small village northeast of Damascus; St. George's Kindergarten, located within the St. George's Catholic Church complex, is the only educational facility for children available in the area. The kindergarten has 5 classrooms, where 30 children are accommodated and where 3 teachers work; Pro Terra Sancta contributes to the operation of the structure by supporting the costs of maintenance and electricity, and by offering economic coverage for families who are unable to pay their monthly fees.
