Fara is a young mother from the brickyards of Pakistan.
Among all the Christians that I met at our ministries throughout Pakistan, Fara stood out because of the way that her life changed.
Christians in Pakistan face intense persecution. I met Fara in a ministry center for Christians in brickyards that you support through Christian Freedom International (CFI).
She and her husband had worked in a brickyard, shaping wet clay into bricks in the scorching sun and bitter cold, from early morning until late evening. Her family took a loan that they pay off by making bricks. The wages are too low to meet basic needs, and families borrow again just to survive. This creates a cycle of debt bondage.
Most brickyard workers are Christians. They may work up to 16 hours a day, beginning as early as 3:00 a.m. Many are abused, exploited, shamed, and feel trapped.
Fara lived in that reality. She often brought her three children to the brickyard to help with the work. Yet she held onto a dream. She wanted to become a beautician, send her children to school, and build a different life for her family.
Then something inspiring happened. Our partner and local Christians came together and personally paid off her family’s debt. This is the local church, a community of persecuted Christians, caring for one another.
For many former brickyard workers, freedom from debt is only temporary because brickmaking is the only work they have ever known. But Fara embraced the opportunity God placed before her. Encouraged by her local church, she enrolled in a beautician training program supported by Christian Freedom International. There she learned valuable skills, gained confidence, and grew in her faith alongside other believers.
Today, Fara is working as a beautician and helping train other women from brickyard communities at our partner’s vocational center. The same hope that once transformed her life is now being passed on to others, making her story a powerful testimony to God’s faithfulness.
Beauty School for women in a brickyard supported by CFI
Her children, now ages 10, 8, and 5, are no longer making bricks. They are attending school. Her husband works hard driving a rickshaw.
“Because of this course and my job, I am now able to fully support my children’s education. When I was working in the brickyard, my children were not going to school, but now I can pay for their school supplies and tuition costs.”
This is a lasting change.
Fara’s story shows: paying off a debt can open a door, but it takes much more to be fully free.
What truly changed her future is:
- She gained valuable job skills to pursue a new path.
- She is supported by Christians who care for her and walk alongside her
- She is determined not to return to the bondage she left behind.
- She is encouraged in her faith in Jesus, which gives her purpose and strength.
This is the difference your partnership makes. Will you pray for Christians like Fara? Would you pray for more Christians living under persecution to know true freedom in Christ?
Through your support, persecuted Christians are being equipped for lasting change.
CFI does not pay off debts (our experience in these circumstances is that without relationships and accountability, it can lead to corruption).
We strive for Christians to learn valuable skills, to be discipled so they can stand firm in their faith, and to belong to a community of believers who care for one another.
Thank you for being part of this work. Your generosity helps turn moments of relief into lifetimes of transformation.
With gratitude,
Wendy Wright
President/CEO