Serving with Hope Across Nations

Imagine you are a Pakistani Christian. You live in a country where 98-99% of the population is Muslim. Your religion is shared on most official documents, so you are discriminated against and generally live in the lowest caste of society. Jobs for you are mainly domestic servants for Muslim households, brick makers, or other low-paying jobs because of this discrimination. You are also most likely illiterate, as you have never had the option of education.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” Galatians 6:9-10

Now, imagine your child needs emergency medical care. You barely make enough to feed and house your family, with nothing left over. You are approached by a jamadaar (a middleman for the brick kiln owner) who aggressively seeks out desperate families in need of money. He offers you a loan so that you can take your child to a doctor. The jamadaar explains that the family can pay off the loan by working at the brick kiln. He explains it in a way that sounds temporary and repayable. You accept the loan and get your child medical care. Without a written agreement or any information on the interest you owe, you move to the brick kiln to work to pay off your debt. You are now bound to the kiln. You are paid so little that you can barely afford food. Then, the kiln owner takes a large percentage of your pay toward the loan and charges high interest. You soon learn that without documentation, your loan never reduces enough for you to pay it off. You, your spouse, and your children now work 12-16-hour days, six or seven days a week, but can never pay off the loan. In the summer, temperatures often range from 100 to 110 degrees, and you still have to work just as hard. You are now a bonded laborer at the kiln, and the generations that come after you will have to continue this brutal work without ever paying off a loan. Your family also has to keep borrowing more money from the kiln owner because he doesn’t pay you enough for your basic needs. The cycle continues and is impossible to escape from.



Imagine some other Pakistani Christians show up at your kiln. They bring food and supplies for the month, provide bedding and jackets when it is cold out, install a well so that you have clean water, lead you in worship and Bible lessons, and teach you about the hope in Jesus. They start showing up every month. For the first time in the years you have been here, you have an ounce of hope and see God showing up for you in small ways through these people.

This is what our staff and team do every week. They visit the kilns, meet their physical and spiritual needs, and remind the families there that God has not forgotten them. This is what our leadership board experienced in April and May while they were there. You can read more about the E4 trip here, as well as our partners in both Lahore and Faisalabad.

Bonded Laborers in Pakistan Brick Kilns
Faisalabad region, Pakistan

Bonded labor is illegal in Pakistan, but most of these families have no idea that they have any rights, and there are not enough people advocating for them. Most reports state that up to 4 four million people in Pakistan are living in modern slavery, which includes bonded labor/debt bondage, forced labor, forced marriage, and related forms of exploitation. Freedom United estimates that Christians account for approximately 50% to 60% of Pakistan's bonded brick kiln workers, even though they only make up 1-2% of the population.



We continue our weekly ministry at the kilns and are in the initial phases of formalizing a church-based education and loan program for families within and beyond the kilns. Our team is currently in discussions with the local church about the best way to move forward with offering families interest-free loan options. We are focusing on more preventive measures in nature to break the cycle of bondage before it begins, as well as provide options for families already trapped. We also hope to add literacy training, medical clinics, and ongoing care for those trapped in the kilns. Debt bondage is a very complicated epidemic that requires much prayer and planning. We covet your prayers for wisdom and guidance as we move forward.

We have huge needs for this program ministering to brick kiln workers. Please consider a donation today to our Punjab Province Brick Kiln Ministry.

Support Brick Kiln Ministry

Ebola Outbreak Reaches Nebobongo Hospital, DRC
Democratic Republic of Congo
Thank you to everyone who gave to our Ebola Preparedness campaign for Nebobongo Hospital. Together, we raised $3,725, with 100% of the funds sent directly to the team at Nebobongo.

Wash station

This past week, two cases arrived at Nebobongo Hospital. Both patients left, as one patient’s family wouldn’t accept the diagnosis of Ebola and the other fled. Both died in their villages shortly after this. Our team there wanted you all to know that what has been given to date has helped tremendously. Nebobongo has secured most of what is needed for basic protection for now, but the situation remains extremely serious and requires further assistance. Please partner with us in prayer for the protection of the Nebobongo community, hospital staff, and patients and consider a donation to our emergency fund. You can give here. If you have any questions, please contact Brynn at brynn@e4project.org.

Doctors with patients at Nebo

New partnership in Gulu region, Uganda
Gulu, Uganda
We wanted to share an update from a village outside of Gulu, Uganda, where our new partners are sharing God’s love through a recent livestock distribution. Through the generosity of donors to the Christmas Gift Catalog, our team distributed livestock and maize seeds to 40 households. This was our second outreach in the village, following a food distribution and Christmas celebration in December. The families received:

• 40 hens, now ready for egg production
• 40 improved-breed female goats
• Maize seeds, which have already been planted