Bishop’s Advent Appeal - Ras Morbat Eye Clinic, Yemen

I wonder how many people you know that wear glasses or contact lenses. Perhaps, like me, you need them yourself. Eye care – from the basics of having our sight tested to increasingly complex surgeries – is something we are fortunate to be able to take for granted in Europe. 

We have also been able to enjoy decades of the absence of war. My 2024 Advent Appeal is to raise funds for the Ras Morbat Eye Clinic in Yemen, a country experiencing, in the words of UNICEF, ‘one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises that is robbing children of their future’. The war in Ukraine and the escalating conflict in the Middle East dominate the news and we continue to pray for peace in both regions. Meanwhile, the crisis in Yemen is overlooked although its effects are no less pernicious on those caught up in it. While active conflict has decreased somewhat since April 2022, the situation remains fragile, with food shortages and malnutrition being significant issues.

Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world. The public health sector is stretched beyond capacity and in most places has to focus on urgent survival needs, which means general eye care is marginalised. Yet eye care is much needed: Yemen’s harsh sunlight contributes to vision problems in children and especially older people, with the onset of glaucoma and cataract often happening at younger ages than in Europe. For many years the Ras Morbat Eye Clinic has been welcoming and offering heavily subsidised eye care to the poor, refugees, and displaced people. Because the clinic serves all, it has been a good example of compassion and care for people in need regardless of religious or tribal identities. This matters in a country where tribal identity has been a major source of conflict.

The work of the clinic is supported and enabled by our neighbour, the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf, in partnership with the Ministry of Health in Aden. I recently participated in the consecration of their new bishop, +Sean Semple, and while I was there my attention was drawn to the work of the clinic. Supporting Ras Morbat not only helps many marginalised people in Yemen, it also strengthens the ties between our dioceses. My hope and prayer is that we can raise enough money to support all the running costs of the clinic for a three month period. This requires about 15.000€.

To donate to the Advent Appeal please see the notes (attachment) below.

Yours sincerely in Christ,

+Robert Gibraltar in Europz