MY ACCOUNT
It’s hard for us to imagine being born into a grueling life of slavery—forced to work to pay off your parents’ insurmountable debt and likely to inherit it when they die—but for the Pakistani Christian children laboring in brick kilns, this is their reality.
Often, following a medical or other family emergency, impoverished Christians are left with no choice but to take out high interest predatory loans owed to owners of brick kilns. Entire families are made to work in the hot, dusty kilns from dawn to dusk for garnished wages. Children are forced to quit school, and they know that even when they grow up, they will probably never be able to leave.
That’s a crushing weight on any child—and their parents who desperately want a better life for their families.
Raheel took out a loan in order to pay for his wife Ruth’s medical care. She had injured her leg and they had no other choice. Naively, Raheel never anticipated he would still be working to pay off his debt 25 years later.
Raheel, Ruth, their son Tariq (17) and daughter Amina (18) woke up before dawn each day to make 1,500 to 2,000 bricks a day under the scorching sun.
Still, they were no closer to freedom than before their children were born. Instead of looking forward to their futures, their children would likely inherit their debt.
The only thing standing in the way of their and their children’s futures was $1,756, despite a quarter-century of back-breaking work. What’s less than a rent payment in many American cities buried these children’s futures under miles of clay in the baking sun.
Thankfully, that was not the end of the story for these Pakistani Christian children and their parents. Raheel’s prayers were answered, his debts paid and his family freed.
When we met Asid and Rabia, their family was suffering under the impossible burden of life in the brick kilns. Their three young daughters—Amina, Zainab and Anmol—held little hope for their future. But one year later, their debts having been paid, Asid and Rabia have been able to register their children as citizens, which is required to attend school, get jobs, and get married one day, something they were never allowed to do in the kilns. The money they’ve been able to save through their combined hard work unlocked their daughters' futures.
Like Raheel, Azeeb labored in a kiln for 25 years. He knew that, without a miracle, he had no chance of paying off his debt. His children would be forced to inherit it and remain in the cycle of poverty. But that miracle came and Azeeb’s debts were paid. His son, Ashir, was able to secure a lucrative government job, which was forbidden before. Azeeb calls this “one of his greatest achievements.” Azeeb has also been able to gather items for his daughters Vincha and Laila’s dowries with a pride he couldn’t muster before.
A father of four, Asghar was living in poverty, toiling away in a brick kiln and praying for freedom. He hoped to one day provide a better life for his children and his wife, Nusrat, but that dream never seemed likely to become reality. That is, until his debts were paid. Asghar has started his own business selling vegetables with the help of a donkey pulling his cart. He now plans to get all of his children an education and has already sent one of his sons off to school. He looks forward to the day when he can hand his small business, not his debt, down to his children.
Thanks to the generous support of kind believers like you, the lives of these children have opened up to their dreams.
But there are thousands more waiting! You have a chance to rewrite these children’s futures, just like our generous supporters have changed the lives of so many children already.
Pray for the Pakistani Christian children enslaved in the brick kilns in Pakistan, and for their parents who want nothing more than to give them freedom and bright futures. Consider how you can change these children’s lives forever.
save a family from slavery today rescue a persecuted christian family
Your gift of $1,018 can free an entire family from brick kiln slavery. For $1,642, you not only break their chains of debt but also provide financial training and income opportunities that won't damage their health.
To brothers and sisters in a country opposed to Christianity, your gift today can be the miracle an impoverished family needs to shatter the vicious cycle of oppression. You’ll not only meet their basic needs—you'll provide a pathway to freedom!
