Paul Calvert spoke with Sister Maria Grech about their counselling service, renovating homes and helping families with university tuition fees.

The Franciscan Family Center was established in Bethlehem in 2004 to provide professional counselling to Christian families who suffered psychological trauma from the armed conflict in Bethlehem. They have also created programmes for employment for the Bethlehem community as well as working with the marginalised Christian families to assist in upgrading their residences. Paul Calvert spoke with Sister Maria Grech to find out more.

Paul: What is the Franciscan Family Centre?

Maria: This is a centre that started in 2004. The main objective was to counsel the families in Bethlehem and the surrounding area; to continue to help our families live in Bethlehem with the situation they are living in. As well as counselling sessions, we also visit them in their homes and see how we could help them materially.

Paul: Is there a big need for counselling?

Maria: Yes I think this is a very big need in Bethlehem and the surrounding area. The biggest problem that they find in their families is that they are not having enough work. There is a lot of unemployment, especially since the wall has been built. Most of the people of Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour used to work in Jerusalem and now this is not possible it is a big problem for our families. I think that's why most of the problems between couples start, because there is not enough money.

Paul: How does unemployment affect the family?

Maria: It affects in many ways, because if the husband is not working, the wife still needs money to bring up her kids, to pay the rent, to pay the school fees and 101 things.

Paul: Does it develop into abuse in the family home as well?

Maria: Sometimes it does.

Paul: Is there a real sense of hopelessness within the community in general in Bethlehem?

Maria: I think we have been living this for many years. Since the first uprising not many things have changed. I don't know how long we can continue to go like this.

Paul: Do the young people struggle with hopelessness?

Maria: This is true, except that now I have been many years in Bethlehem and many of our young people, especially the females, do continue their studies in university. However when they finish their studies, very few find jobs, so this is a big problem for our young people.

Paul: Does a family member going to university put an added pressure on the family as well?