Courageous Christians in war-torn Nagorno-Karabakh need your help. Your gift will bring hope and practical help to families in long-suffering villages across the enclave.
Imagine a village with a population of 109. The village school has just three pupils. More than 100 hectares of the village’s pastureland have been seized by Azerbaijan’s armed forces. The remaining pastures are too dangerous to use because the Azerbaijani military are so close.
This beleaguered village is in the Martuni region of Nagorno-Karabakh, and its brave inhabitants are Armenian Christians.
Barnabas-funded pigs and sheep are boosting Taghavard's traditional farming industry. Can you help us to do more for our persecuted Armenian brothers and sisters?
Maintaining a Christian presence
There are many such villages in Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian enclave within Muslim-majority Azerbaijan. Their inhabitants are determined to stay in the land that Armenian Christians have inhabited for many centuries and which is full of historic Christian places of worship.
During a brief war in September-October 2020 Azerbaijan took territory from the Armenian Christian population and took more again in August 2022. Civilians in Nagorno-Karabakh are repeatedly threatened and sometimes attacked. On 18 November a farmer on his tractor, in another Martuni village, was shot at by Azerbaijani forces. Thankfully, he was not hurt but his tractor was damaged.
This area of Nagorno-Karabakh is famous for its honey, and bee-keeping is a way for our persecuted Armenian brothers and sisters to support themselves
New livelihoods for new situations
The Christian villagers need new ways to support themselves, since their world changed so radically two years ago. Livelihoods can be matched to their situations. Where there is safe access to pasture, we can give sheep. Where land is less, we can give pigs. Beehives are even more compact.
On this Giving Tuesday, please make a gift to sustain a Christian family struggling to survive in Nagorno-Karabakh. Encourage their faith. Strengthen the Christian presence.
$7.70 could transport two piglets to a family
$10 could transport three sheep to a family
$22.50 could transport five beehives to one family
$150 could buy one piglet
$208 could buy one sheep
$225 could buy one beehive with a swarm of bees
