Thanks to your generosity, this past financial year has been a standout for support and impact.
We really appreciate you, New Zealand, as does every persecuted believer you’ve cared for, strengthened, and uplifted.
Here’s a little glimpse into the difference you’re making and the lives you’ve changed through your generosity.
You helped 573 vulnerable young people attend a youth camp
Because of you, young Christians have a place to gain encouragement, grow in faith, and make lifelong friends.
A three-day camp brought young Christians together from around the world and encouraged them through workshops, fellowship, worship, and prayer. They left feeling excited and inspired by their experience of a revitalised church that addressed their concerns, embraced their realities, and stood as a beacon of hope.
This was just one of several youth camps held worldwide, including secret camps for the underground church.
“Here, we feel human again, we feel heard and respected. We’ve been reminded that we have rights” shares a young member of a church from the Middle East/North Africa.
Another young Christian, Yolande, shares, “Some of my new friends that I met here shared their stories with me. Some were left out, some were bullied and discriminated, and many went through the trauma of losing loved ones. Yet despite all this, they remain faithful in their journey with the Lord. Let’s pray that they will remain hopeful and know that they are not left alone.”
“Being here has revived me. I return home with new energy and a new perspective to share and tell others about the youth in the Middle East and North Africa and the pressures they face,” shares Verona*, a young Christian from South America.
“We have a role to play no matter where we reside on the world map. This encourages me to go back and be proactive in advocating, praying, and supporting my brothers and sisters in different regions,” shares another youth camp participant.
Youth camps give young believers a place to share their struggles, receive emotional and spiritual support, and feel part of something bigger.
You provided 1,965 displaced believers in Sub-Saharan Africa with food, clothing, hygiene products, and medical care
Your support equipped believers affected by violence and displacement in Sub-Saharan Africa with practical help in the form of vital essentials.
When the insurgency in Mali first began over a decade ago, it was mostly isolated to the northern part of the country. In 2015, the Islamic movement spread across the country, leaving many homeless and their places of worship in ruins. Countless believers have been wounded and traumatised. Today, the threat continues.
Thanks to your generosity, Open Doors’ local partners have provided families with vital relief. Each family received a 100kg bag of rice, five litres of oil, and financial support to address other critical needs such as clothes, school fees, and medicine.
“I can’t even describe my joy!” says Pastor Thomas, a local church leader. “Our Christian brothers came to support us with rice, oil, and money. More than 300 people were supported. Sincerely, I thank God and our brothers who came to support us.”
In Nigeria’s refugee camps for Internally Displaced Persons, several families also received emergency aid in the form of food, trauma care, and income-generating activities.
“I ran to this camp in Itua,” says Mercy, a displaced believer. “We, the occupants of this camp, are really suffering. You people came and gave us food, and I am very happy. Ever since I lost my parents, your outreach has been the biggest aid anyone in this world has given me.”
Timely emergency relief in horrific conditions such as refugee camps can often be the difference between life and death.
Thanks to you, 150 persecuted women received vital trauma care
Christian women can experience extreme trauma from their family and their community. Your support helps make their healing possible.
“One day I was praying for Jesus to take away my pain, and within two hours of that prayer, a pastor called and told me about this training for women,” says Amida*. “I didn’t expect much from it, but now I see it was God who prepared this seminar for me.”
In the three months before attending the trauma workshop, Amida was devastated and drained. Her brother had suddenly passed away at just 26 years of age. The last time they spoke he was healthy, joyful, and looking forward to the future. Within a few weeks of losing him, Amida also lost her father, and then her older brother grew critically ill.
“For over a month, Yunus was between life and death,” she says. “Our Christian family members were constantly praying.”
Her Muslim neighbours used these deeply traumatising events to mock her.
“’You are cursed by Allah for your belief in a foreign God,’” Amida remembers them repeatedly saying. “’All of you are worthy of death! This is the punishment from Allah for your faith.’”
Grief eventually took its toll. Amida became depressed, and her health rapidly declined. She was invited to a trauma workshop by an Open Doors local partner where she learned about negative emotions and depression, their warning signs, and effective coping mechanisms.
“I learned about grief and its negative effects,” Amida shares. “I learned how I can go through it in a ‘healthy way’ to avoid emotional destruction. The knowledge helped me to understand my own feelings and the condition of my heart. This was also useful for my ministry for other women. Now I can help others.”
Trauma care acknowledges the deep and diverse grief women quietly live with and empowers them to cope and heal.
You put 2,161 Bibles into the hands of those who need them most
Depending on where believers live, Bibles can look different. They can be audio or physical. Regardless of the format, you’re making access to God’s Word possible. Thank you!
In many parts of the world, such as Malaysia and India, some believers have received audio Bibles—long-range compact radio devices that come pre-installed with audio versions of the Bible, a few sermons, and worship music. The impact of the audio Bible has been incredible, and more and more Christians have asked for the Bible in their own language.
“I’m grateful and blessed to be able to listen to this audio Bible,” says a delighted believer. “I can listen to it anytime, even while farming and doing house chores. It really helps because I cannot read.”
In Niger, several young converts from Islam to Christianity received physical Bibles. The joy on their faces was impossible to hide.
“Today, I am with the Bible in my hand, and it is mine, my property,” says Alisabatu, beaming. “Thank you, God, for being the Provider, and I pray God’s blessings to the brothers and sisters who supported us with these Bibles.”
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17 NKJV
*Names changed for security purposes
