By Patrick Lejtenyi

Six months. That's how long it took a Montreal-based group of volunteers with exactly zero fundraising experience to raise an incredible $125,000. And thanks to their efforts, the 70,000 residents of Bani Naim, a rural area in the West Bank, now have a much-needed surgical unit.

The group, called "Sowers of Hope," was born two and a half years ago in the wake of violent clashes between Israelis and Palestinians. Their aim was to advocate for peace in the Middle East and to address the humanitarian needs of Palestinians. Child sponsors Grace Batchoun-Woodley and Rula Odeh contacted World Vision to find out what more they could do to alleviate the suffering. By October 2002, they decided to raise money for a surgical unit in Bani Naim, West Bank.

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, checkpoints and road closures have prevented Bani Naim residents from reaching the nearest hospital in Hebron only 15 kilometres away. Life-saving surgeries were inaccessible and many women gave birth at home or at checkpoints without the assistance of trained medical staff. "There was definitely a sense of urgency," says Grace's husband and fundraising partner, Tom Woodley.

The Sowers expanded their group to 20 people and began fundraising. After asking individuals, churches, and businesses for donations, throwing a Valentine's Day party, and hosting a massive gala for 400 people in March 2003, the Sowers of Hope reached their goal. Two months later, the Bani Naim Hospital unveiled a state-of-the-art surgical unit. And within 10 months, medical staff had used the unit to treat 5,000 people, perform 1,080 emergency surgeries, and deliver 400 babies.

Chris Derksen-Hiebert, a policy analyst at World Vision, says the Sowers' passion and hard work had an amazing impact on the people of Bani Naim. "I've seen the barriers these people faced in times of emergency before the clinic opened, and now I've heard the joyful stories of the mothers and their new babies who benefitted because of the Sowers' partnership with us," he says. "The impact has been literally life saving."

Click here to make a donation towards the "New Hope for Nahhalin" project