Lisy Shaji has lost her home and all her possessions. Heavy rainfall caused the river to rise so high that it completely covered her house, which stood on the riverbank. She and her husband are now living under a piece of plastic sheeting.
Thomas Baby, a daily wage earner, has a wife and three children to support. His eldest daughter suffers from cerebral palsy. He had to carry her down the hillside during the torrential rains when the retaining wall of their house was damaged. The house needs such major repairs that they have been told they cannot go back to it.
Newly widowed Susheela and her two children are in a similar plight. They lived in a mountainside house whose retaining wall collapsed in the rain, so they cannot return. Susheela earns very little from her job as a maid.
These stories are just a few of the recent tragedies afflicting our Christian brothers and sisters in the South Indian state of Kerala, a place where anti-Christian pressure and violence occur. Last weekend flooding and landslides caused by heavy rains claimed the lives of at least 28 people across the state. Swollen rivers also washed away the bridges connecting many small villages. Thousands of people have been evacuated.
Mud on the roof of Lisy Shaji’s house shows that it was completely swamped when the river rose. Lisy and many other Christians in Kerala need your help after last weekend’s terrible floods
Faith in God’s purposes
One of the Christians who lost his home and everything he owned in the flood said he was sad about the loss but kept repeating a Bible verse of hope: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
Despite all they have suffered, our brothers and sisters keep trusting in the Lord.
Will you help the Christians affected by the flooding in Kerala?
This plastic sheeting is home for Lisy and her husband now. Please help Barnabas Fund provide food, clothes, household items and emergency rent for Christian flood victims
Help our brothers and sisters
Church leaders in Kerala have appealed to Barnabas Fund for help to bring practical aid to the flood victims. They are distributing food items, providing short-term rent payments for those who lost their homes, some household items and clothes to the many Christians affected by the floods.
Please give what you can.
Emergency food aid, rent, household items and clothes needed for those who have lost everything.
Household items £10 ($13; €11)
Clothes £15 ($20; €18)
Food for a family for a month £20 ($27; €23)
Short-term rent (monthly) £35 ($48; €42)
