Free Christian families from slavery today!

The loan amounts vary but can be as little as a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. On average, the families we work with have a debt of $800 - $1,000 US.

Bonded labor was technically banned in 1992, but these kilns continue operating and thriving due to government oversight, corruption, and the influence of the kiln owners. In many ways, this type of slavery is part of the societal norms inside Pakistan.

Most of the families we work with do not leave immediately. They would need additional income to afford a home or apartment outside of the kilns. However, when they are freed from bonded slavery, their wage increases, they are no longer under the authority of the owner and the income generation projects we provide help them plan by developing another trade and an extra income to one day leave the kilns. There are exceptions, and some families can leave quickly because of their circumstances, but most of the time leaving the kilns takes 1-2 years of planning and saving.

While families are in bonded slavery, we help provide schools for their children, mobile medical clinics and vocational training and when we release a family from bonded slavery, we provide an income generating project they can use to build a business outside of the kilns. And we have just launched a 6-week financial training course for all the families we help free.

Pay fluctuates, but often they are paid between $3 - $5 a day and those wages are garnished for interest and their debt payment which often leaves them with as little as $1.50 a day.

It varies by family, but young teenagers are tasked with helping their family by working in the kilns and many times they start younger than that.

Yes! Our partners are launching a 6-week financial training course for the families we release.

Although it is banned, the industry is unregulated. There are an estimated 20,000 brick kilns in Pakistan, most of whose workers are in bonded slavery.

We approach the owners through our partners who are respected and have long-lasting relationships with the brick kilns. We are incredibly careful in each case to make sure the debt relief is seen as a business enhancement for the owners. This is a delicate process that is vetted carefully by our partners on the ground to ensure the safety of the families and to foster a positive relationship with the owners.

Our partners on the ground have forged relationships with owners from many kilns across Pakistan. They have trusted relationships with them and set up meetings to discuss debt relief well in advance.

We make every effort to do the debt relief without attracting attention from the entire kiln, but there is always potential for other Christian families to see what happens and to become jealous or frustrated that they are still in bondage. It speaks to the massive need to free Christian families across the 20,000 brick kilns.

We are currently brainstorming ideas around purchasing kilns and turning over the management to Pakistani Christian business leaders, but at this point we do not have any plans to purchase a brick kiln.

In a majority Muslim country, Christianity isn’t widely accepted. While some kiln owners allow believers to gather for church, many, like Asid and Rabia’s don’t allow them time off or the freedom to leave the premises. Churches often use buildings like sewing centers during non-operating hours.