When his wife needed urgent medical attention, Majeed – an impoverished Christian brick kiln worker – had no choice but to take out a loan from his employer to pay for her care.
“The brick kiln owner started deducting money from my wages against my loan, leaving me disheartened and feeling hopeless due to the burden of debt,” said Majeed. “Gratefully, thanks to Barnabas Aid, I am now released from the weight of this loan.”
This is the reality for thousands of low-paid Christian brick kiln workers in Pakistan. When faced with an emergency or illness, their only option is to take a loan from the brick kiln owner. These debts then keep them bonded to the brick kiln.
Faithful Christians like Majeed and his family are trapped in debt, taken on in times of emergency. They can’t repay it themselves – can you help free hard-working Christians in Pakistan?
Until the debt is repaid, they become trapped and are unable to seek out another job. They cannot pay off their debt, as money is deducted from their wages to pay the interest. It becomes impossible for them to pay off the loan in full.
They are effectively slaves.
But thanks to Barnabas Aid, Majeed received funds to pay off his debt and set him and his family free.
“The relief from this debt has brought great comfort. I now receive all my wages,” explained Majeed. They are now able to send their children to school with their newfound freedom from debt
“Once again, a heartfelt thank you to Barnabas Aid for this invaluable assistance.”
"Finally curse-free" – Generations of debt being lifted from Christians in Pakistan
Rafique has worked in a brick kiln for 30 years. His two sons also work with him. “Regretfully, I have struggled with debt for a very long time; it was a legacy from my father.”
“We found solace in Barnabas Aid… They have helped me to finally be curse-free.” Rafique and his family inherited debt from a previous generation. But thanks to Barnabas supporters, they are finally free.
Repayments do not end with one generation. The debt is passed on to the next generation, and in Rafique’s case, even his sons also must work to help pay it off. Through Barnabas’ help, their debt has also been repaid.
“We found solace in Barnabas Aid… They have helped me to finally be curse-free.”
Yet thousands of our brothers and sisters are still trapped in desperate poverty and bonded to brick kilns. Barnabas has freed a total of 2,023 brick kiln families since 2017, but we long to do more.
In our next phases, we hope to free another 200 Christian families, whose debts range from $360 to $1,200.
Can you help us set more Christian families free?
How you can help
Please prayerfully consider giving any amount you can to help set them free. A photo of the family your gift has helped, with names and ages, will be provided.
