Paul Calvert found out more about Shevet Achim

Jonathan Miles and his family

Shevet Achim is bringing Middle-Eastern children to hospitals in Israel for life-saving heart surgeries. Based in Jerusalem they seek to live like the Good Samaritan, who crossed lines of division to show that an enemy is in fact a neighbour also loved by God. To find out more Paul Calvert spoke with Jonathan Miles the International Coordinator.

Paul: What is Shevet Achim?

Jonathan: Shevet Achim is first of all the Hebrew phrase that starts Psalm 133: 'How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity'. We chose that as the name of our ministry here in Jerusalem which is bringing children from neighbouring countries into Israel for life saving operations; heart surgeries.

Paul: When was this organisation founded?

Jonathan: We first started in 1994 and soon after we were living and working from the Gaza strip, bringing children from Gaza into Israeli hospitals and since 2003 it's grown to include children from Iraq.

Paul: Which countries do the children come from?

Jonathan: In addition to Gaza and Iraq, we've had kids from Jordan, from Egypt and a child living in Saudi Arabia. We do have a child coming from Morocco, hopefully in the next month.

Our focus is on the Moslem world; the Arabic speaking world. They also see themselves as sons of Abraham; so brothers dwelling together in unity, we're looking at these children of Abraham and not accepting this basic idea that there must be enmity, division and hatred between them. From a biblical and historical point of view there is every reason for them to be family.

Paul: What is wrong with the majority of these children?

Jonathan: We are focusing specifically on heart surgeries. You go into a hospital for example in the Gaza Strip and you will see children who are blue; who are wasting away; who are gasping; born with heart defects. The thing about that is most of the cases can be completely cured and healed and yet you have parents who do not have the means to get them to a hospital as they don't have the funds; they don't have the permission to leave Gaza. It seems as though no-one takes an interest in the life of that child. I think that's one of the things that drew me to get involved, it was putting myself in the place of one of those parents, knowing my child is dying; that's bad enough; but to know that he could be saved but I don't have the ability to get him a few miles across the border or a few kilometres to where he can get healed, that must kill the parent; to realise that because of their weakness they are unable to give the child what he needs. We have found excellent partners in the hospitals in Israel; doctors who want to help and are willing to give their time; willing to give up their family life; willing to go out and raise funds along side of us, who really love these kids. It's a revelation when the families reach the hospital in Israel; the same child who was neglected and alone in a miserable little bed in a hospital in Gaza, suddenly it's an emergency and you have 12 people swarming around him, attaching him, saying, "We've got to do something". It's such a picture, the value of a human life. Those families when they see, they often say, "they treated my child exactly the same as that Israeli child in the next bed. It's a very powerful statement of the value of each human life, no matter who it is and the love of God that breaks down all barriers and reaches out to every person.

Paul: So these Israeli doctors are actually ministering and helping children who are from an enemy state?

Jonathan: That's true, yes. This work is very much along what Jesus taught us to do, to love even your enemies and the doctors are not followers of Jesus but to them they say a child is a child; I don't care where they are from, we're not going to turn them away.

Paul: Can these children not get care for themselves in their own countries or do they have to come to another country for the care they need?

Jonathan: Absolutely not in Gaza; there is no heart surgery for kids, not even close. Advanced health care is pretty much non existent in Gaza. In Iraq you have a couple of thousand kids there who need heart surgery and there's one small private centre which is just starting to offer it so many many children are not getting the medical care you would expect for our own children.