2022 Annual Report
people freed in 2022
students in education
families supported into work in 2022
2022 Key Info
Redemption
People set free: 539 people /113 families (decrease of 32% on 2022)
Average cost per person: $121 USD
Average time enslaved: 9 years, 7 months
Total spent: $65,290 USD
Education
New schools started: 0
Total schools operating: 7
Total students: 276
Total teachers: 14
Total Education spending: 1,049,000 PKR / $5035 USD
Aid, Community Development, Refugee Work
Total Aid spending: 710,000 PKR / $3408 USD
Health, nutrition and medical: 614,000 PKR / $2947 USD
Total Community Development: 255,000 PKR / $1224 USD (9 Wells)
Total Refugee Support: $25,272 USD (*see Refugee section below for details)
Seminars/Training: 340,000 PKR / $1632 USD
Pakistan Program Delivery
Team Members: 13 full & part-time
Program Costs (including wages): 4,083,000PKR / $19,597 USD
Admin and Fundraising
Admin: $5,189 USD
Marketing and Fundraising: $13,888 USD
Office rental: $6170 USD
Technology : $422 USD
Redemption
This year sadly saw far less families redeemed than in 202 with 539 people redeemed in 113 familes (a drop of 252 people). It was certainly a difficult year with multiple contributing factors. One of the major issues we encountered was to do with the transfer of funds. The banks in Pakistan would hold the funds, only to then reject our transfers without reason or explanation. In one case, a single transfer took 41 days to finally clear. This significantly slowed down the redemption rate. The cost of the banking resistance is that there are still families in slavery who would otherwise be free. We are hoping and praying for a breakthrough in 2023 to enable the smooth and robust transfer of funds.
Niamat Masih Family
To see the photo of this family now, you’d never guess that tragedy that they had previously been through.
More than four years ago, the Niamat family found themselves in a nightmare situation. Their son had been involved in a drowning event and needed emergency hospital care. In order to get that care, the Niamat family had to pay $600, which is around six-months pay at minimum wage. They took what they saw as their only option and took a loan from the brick kiln and signed a contract to live and work at the kiln. It was all they could do to try and save their son. Tragically, the son died, and the whole family was left enslaved in their grief.
It’s hard to imagine the emotional turmoil of losing a child and then facing a lifetime of slavery. Thankfully, we were able to redeem them only after four years. Thank you so much to our donors who made this all possible: you have changed the world for this family and given them a future of hope and joy!
See the joy of some of the redeemed families of 2022!
Education
Education is one of the most critical areas of our work in Pakistan. Giving children a vision for a life of freedom and the tools for the future is essential in preventing slavery. The highlight of 2022 was building a new school in Grujanwala thanks to direct US funding. The lowlight was having to close another school and drop our student numbers from 315 to 276. That was heart-breaking. In terms of NZ funding, we spent $5035USD over the course of 2023, and our teachers did an amazing job with so little resources. As the photos show, many of our classes still don’t have a roof, let alone desks, chairs and resources. In 2022, we only had three donors funding education at less than $100 per month–the balance was taken from our discretionary funds. We are hoping to fundraise and invest much more into education in 2023, including providing food each day for the children.
Aid Work and Community Development
In 2022, we saw yet more flooding and many people trapped in desperate need. In response, we provided temporary shelters, water and food to flood victims. Over the year, we also supplied basic essentials to those in need as well as paying for people’s medical costs. Our total budget from NZ was $3408USD, but we were thrilled to have direct support as well from the US ontop of the Freeslaves NZ funding.
Refugee Work
In 2022, we continued our support a Pakistani refugee community of 15 families, though this year we also provided a loan to one family that ensured their relocation to Canada, with a NZ funder underwriting the loan. We are thrilled to see more of the refugee families secure sponsorship to Canada and Australia.
Health and Nutrition Camps
Our medical, health and nutrition camps have been incredibly well received in 2023. Over the course of the year, we ran *** camps in very poor areas and next to brick kilns. The camps drew up to 100 people at a time for treatment and advice. During these camps, Sonya, Shakeel, the team (including locum doctors on occasion) treated children, teens and adults from all backgrounds and religions without discrimination. Most enslaved people cannot afford to go to doctors or pharamcists for even basic supplies. For such people, the medical camps presented the first time they could access medical support. Many suffered from diabetes, skin diseases, infections, worms, boils, anemia and so on. Thank you so much to our donors who are making this all possible!
A Word from Emmanuel
Our Pakistan Project Director writes:
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
We are very thankful for what the Lord did in 2022. We were able to serve the community in different ways. Firstly the Lord enabled us to free more than 100 families out of slavery and after there freedom from this slavery we could see the happiness and joy in their eyes, they were happy for their future. Many of them testified that the Lord had answered their prayers.
Secondly we reached out to 25 villages. These villages had no source of clean water due to which a lot of the people had been suffering from various diseases. And now they have clean water to drink which is equivalent to them as life.
In 2022 we were able to conduct more than 20 medical camps in different parts of the region. Majority of the people were unable to get medication for either themselves or their children. Few people said that they had taken many medicines but weren’t cured. But after they got medicine from this medical camp they were healed and cured from their sickness.
We highly appreciate your support for all these projects and are thankful that you open your hearts for these needy peoples. Thank you and May God bless you all.
Final Thanks
After an incredible 2021, this year felt like the brakes went on a little. Funds transfer into Pakistan were a constant source of inertia, which made it difficult to work to the same level as 2021. Added to this, we had health issues with our volunteer team in New Zealand, as well as significant commitments outside the Freeslaves project. Yet, despite the setbacks, we were still able to redeem 539 people. That’s 539 people who were previously suffering in slavery, now living in freedom! That’s over 300 children, previously existing as living machines now enjoying the freedom and education that every child should have.
On their behalf, I want to say a massive THANK YOU! Thank you for continuing to support the project. Thank you for your encouragement during such difficult times. Thank you for remembering those who have no voice, no rights, and no hope. Thank you for changing their lives forever. You have changed the future for generations to come, and we are so grateful to be working with you.
May the God of redeeming love pour out His love upon you. May He bless you with the riches of His joy and bless all those you love. May you know the thrill of being a channel of His redeeming love, and may your heart be forever a place of His presence.
With all gratitude and love,
Geoff Woodcock
NZ Freeslaves.org Project Director
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