“I can’t even describe my joy!” – 320 families supported in Mali

Joy and thankfulness have greeted your provision of practical aid for 320 Christian families displaced by violence in Mali.

Since 2012, an Islamic extremist insurgency has had enormous implications for the minority Christian population in Mali, particularly the north. Churches have been burnt down and Christians displaced, leaving many homeless and their places of worship in ruins.

In Bandiagara, a region in central Mali, many communities have been forced to sign agreements with jihadists. If they don’t, they must leave or face violent attacks. The areas surrounding the towns of Koro, Bankass and Sangha have been especially targeted. For the last two years, attacks in the region have happened almost weekly. People are either killed, kidnapped or injured, and Christians are among the targets in every attack.

Since the end of last year, 320 displaced Chrisian families have been living in Bankass town, putting an immense strain on the local church who can no longer singlehandedly support the displaced. It’s here that, with your help, Open Doors local partners have been able to step in, providing the families with rice, oil and financial support for other needs like clothes, school fees and medicine. 


 

Stop the violence, start the healing

“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.”

  “I give thanks to God that our brothers came to support us,” adds Esther, a beneficiary. “My family and I are really happy. We give thanks to the Lord for His glory. God willing, we will eat rice with fat or with sagasaga (leaf sauce) with our families.”



Thank you for your gifts that make it possible to reach families like Esther’s in Mali. The impact shown here is reflected across the broader region as your support brings timely aid and joy to many of our persecuted brothers and sisters displaced by violence and conflict.

However, many needs still need to be met, and recent events in the Mopti region of Mali – where jihadists recently summoned pastors and told them to help the jihadists’ recruitment or leave their homes – are a sobering reminder of the intensifying hostility facing Christians not only in Mali but throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Please continue to remember them as we to join with our African family in seeking to stop the violence and start the healing.

Have you signed the petition to stop the violence and start the healing?