There is an Italian hospital
between the castle ruins and busy streets of Karak, a small town in the
hills above the Dead Sea.
It is the largest hospital in the south of
Jordan, treating some of the country’s most vulnerable people.
Originally from Milan, she has been living in Jordan for 30 years. “We are here just to share our Christian values, especially to take care of the most abandoned,” Sr Adele tells SBS.
Although a predominately Muslim country, Jordan has a rich Christian history. The country is home to some of the world’s earliest churches and today Christians make up nearly six percent of the population.
The Italian Hospital was established in 1935 and has since been run by the Comboni missionaries. Catholic hospitals also operate in Jerusalem, Iraq, and Syria.
Sr Adele speaks Arabic to her colleagues as she ushers us into her office.
“We are part of this family and this area. We have been here many years,” she says. “They know we are religious Sisters, they know and they respect us. They always tell us, ‘you are part of our history, you are part of the family.’”
Apart from a few years when she returned to Italy, Sr Adele has always lived in Karak. Over that time, she has seen the kingdom accommodate several generations of refugees fleeing neighbouring conflicts.
“In Amman we treated them during the Iraqi wars. Then I came back and it was the Syrian wars,” she says.
Jordan’s population has almost doubled as a result of the Syrian conflict. This has put the health sector under constant pressure and in 2014 refugees were banned from accessing free healthcare outside of the camps.
“The government cannot face this big group arriving in Jordan,” says Sr Adele.
The hospital has a strictly open-door policy and is funded by donations from NGOs, individuals, and Catholic parishes around the world.
Emergency procedures are given priority, and those who can pay are encouraged to give what they can. While the service is technically private, referrals are taken from the local branch of Caritas, the Catholic aid agency.
This year alone, treatment has been provided to more than 2000 refugees.