Vocational training brings hope to Christian communities in South-East Asia

Barnabas Aid is helping lift Christians in South-East Asia out of poverty by giving them the skills they need to make a living and provide for their families.

What is life like for Christians in South-East Asia?

South-East Asia is a region of poverty and hunger. An estimated three-quarters of people in this beautiful but disadvantaged part of the world are impoverished and short of food. Rural areas are the worst affected.

Christians are often among the least well-off in South-East Asian countries, and are a small, persecuted minority. But Barnabas Aid is bringing hope to our brothers and sisters in Laos and Vietnam by funding vocational training and the setting up of small businesses. In this we are following the Biblical teaching, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD” (Proverbs 19:17). 

Each venture has been crucial in transforming lives and prospects. Our brothers and sisters are helped to develop skills and start businesses that boost sustainability and opportunity for whole Christian communities. 

Fish farming blossoms with improved stock

Barnabas partners have started two fish hatcheries that also serve as training centres for prospective fish farmers. This training has completely turned around the lives of Christian families.

Some rural Christians have fishponds that have fallen into disuse because of the poor quality of available fish hatchlings. The aim is to transform these fishponds into viable fish farms.

Our project partners were able to obtain very high-quality breeding stock that grow fast and are more resistant to disease. As a result, the number of fish has increased to around 2.4 million. Together we have helped more than 80 Christian families to make a living from fish farming in 2024.

Mushrooms: from poison to productivity 

Mushroom farming has been equally effective in sustaining believers, providing an income for 85 families. 

This training opportunity developed after some of the most impoverished Christians lost family members who died after eating wild poisonous mushrooms. They had picked these mushrooms from the jungle when all other food was scarce. 

Our partner responded by setting up a safe rural mushroom project. Christians are trained in starting small oyster mushroom farms. 

Through the training and equipment that Barnabas has funded, families can grow up to 1-3 kg of mushrooms per day, providing an income of around £180-£450 ($236-$589; €213-€533) over a three-month period before new mushroom-growing bags are required.

Sewing project provides future for women and girls

Sixty-eight women are, at the time of writing, receiving training in sewing and weaving and being equipped with sewing machines. At centres each morning they take part in group devotions and, on weekday evenings, more in-depth Bible studies.

Our partner underlines how vital the acquisition of these skills is. “The women’s sewing project really helps reduce the risk of young Christian girls being sucked into a dark world of trafficking.”

A further 90 women are being trained in hair and beauty. These skills are in high demand as, even in the poorest villages, rural women are keen to receive hair and beauty treatments. Often payment is in kind, with rice, vegetables, help with chores or other assistance with income.

Motorbike maintenance boosted by training facility

Instruction in motorbike mechanics has grown as young men – and, increasingly, women – are eager to develop these skills. 

In most rural areas motorbikes are the only viable transport option. More than 160 young people have enrolled in 2024, and a dedicated training building is being constructed in one region to make the sessions more effective. 

Each trainee is given a tool kit and taught by a trained mechanic how to change oil, the importance of chain tension and repairs, brake maintenance, gears, tyre repairs and other essentials. These skills are vital in enabling Christians to reach less accessible areas in various work-related tasks and thus strengthen the local economy.

“A blessing to our community”

These are just some of the skills being developed through our partners in South-East Asia. Christians are also gaining valuable training in pig farming, kitchen gardening, barber shop proficiency and essential computer skills. The income generation achieved by all these schemes has significant positive effects on Christian communities in South-East Asia.

It is now financially easier for many families and especially young people to continue living in their rural villages instead of being compelled to seek work in major cities or even abroad. This means that local churches are not weakened by members relocating for financial reasons.

– a mushroom farmer – speaks for many. “God has provided a way for us to be a blessing to our community,” he says. “We hope to be an even bigger blessing in the future.”

Watch: New Hope for Dao

Dao is one of the Christians benefitting from this project. She is from a small Christian tribe in Laos, where it is very difficult to be a believer. She had a tough childhood, as her father was a drug addict.

Dao got married at 17 in hopes of a better life, but her husband became abusive. After escaping him, she had no income and could not support her family. Then, Barnabas Aid stepped in to help.

Watch Dao’s story here to learn how the vocational training project changed her life.