Without food or money, young mother “Serena” pleaded with a nearby shopkeeper for a kilogram of rice on credit. When she got the rice home, she found it was mixed with rat droppings. As a convert to Christianity, Serena faces much opposition from the local community. She and her husband know that the shopkeeper put the rat droppings into her rice deliberately because of her decision to leave her former religion and follow Christ. “Nevertheless, they cooked the rice and consumed it out of desperation,” explain our project partners in Sri Lanka, who later provided the family with a food pack, funded by Barnabas, when Serena’s pastor told them of the situation.
Many of our brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka are desperately poor and hungry. Will you help?
Impoverished Sri Lankan Christians are in desperate need
Economic collapse and rampant inflation
Hunger and deprivation in Sri Lanka are the worst in living memory. There is an escalating humanitarian crisis in the country, brought about by the economic collapse of Sri Lanka which has destroyed many livelihoods. The inflation figure released last month was 18.8%, with food inflation at 25.7%. This has been compounded by recent crop failures.
The very poor, which includes many Christians like Serena and her husband, are suffering the most. Fuel shortages and power cuts of up to ten hours a day are also severely impacting the livelihoods of day labourers, leaving them unable to earn a living. This all comes on top of the suffering from the Covid crisis.
You can help!
Sri Lankan church leaders have pleaded with Barnabas for more help for desperate Christian families. A family food parcel, costing approximately £18.50 ($24; €22), will contain food items such as rice, lentils, flour, potatoes, onions, coconuts, dried fish, soya “meat”, cooking oil, salt, chilli powder, plus hygiene items such as soap and washing powder.
Our project partners also want to help poor Christian families unable to earn a living by providing each with a self-sufficiency start-up pack costing around £23 ($30; €27) per family. This includes five egg-laying chickens, materials to build them a cage, five varieties of vegetable seed, fertiliser and other items needed to grow the vegetables.
This relief intervention will be done through the churches.
Can you help provide for our Sri Lankan brothers and sisters?
Your gift brings practical help
With your help, Barnabas will support these poor and suffering Christian brothers and sisters in their hour of need, providing much-needed food aid and helping the most vulnerable towards self-sufficiency.
$14.50 could buy five egg-laying chickens for a poor Sri Lankan Christian family
$36 could provide a dry food package with essential food and hygiene items for one family
$44 could provide a self-sufficiency start-up pack containing all a family needs to get started in egg-production and vegetable-growing
Please help your Sri Lankan brothers and sisters today.
