Our team in Pakistan love catching up with our redeemed families and checking in to see how they are getting on. From our end, we enjoy seeing the different areas of work that they find and the insights we get into life in Pakistan. Here are some updates of our recent families:

Our team in Pakistan love catching up with our redeemed families and checking in to see how they are getting on. From our end, we enjoy seeing the different areas of work that they find and the insights we get into life in Pakistan. Here are some updates of our recent families:

One aspect of our Freeslaves work that supports families is economic empowerment. Most often we arrange jobs for the people we redeem, but sometimes we give them small business grants, especially if they have a suitable skill or interest. In the past we have funded small business ventures such as poultry farming, fruit and vegetable carts, tuk-tuk driving, cartage, textiles etc. It’s exciting to see people make a living for their families through owning their own business.

On the 8th of June, our team were in the small village of Sadoki running a health and nutrition clinic. One of the most important aspects of these clinics is the education that Sonya brings to locals about healthy eating, the importance of filtered/boiled water and lifestyle changes. We especially loved this photo because it shows the children gathered around, curious about what is going on. In a simple but visual way, Sonya is able to teach the next generation about how to look after their health. It’s such a different culture to the Western norm of private examination rooms, private curtains, and private conversations!

Three months ago, the Majeed family were spending day after day making bricks in a kiln where they had worked for the last 10 years, with no prospect of ever repaying the loan they owed. A donor they will probably never meet was moved by their plight and paid for their redemption. In a single day their small world changed forever! Now the Majeed family are building a new life of freedom. They are running a mobile ice-cream business where they earn enough money through commissions to support themselves.

We wanted to share a heart-warming story from one of our donors in the US. Rose is an avid supporter of the Freeslaves project, and she contacted us earlier in the year to say that she and her husband wanted to promote the work of Freeslaves to their business customers. They came up with the idea of printing some business cards that they could give out. The problem was that the main printing firm in their little town had closed down. After searching around, Rose stumbled across a tiny shop that did printing. She and the owner had an immediate connection and spent four hours together designing the perfect business card! When it came time to print the cards, the owner told Rose there would be no charge as she had fallen in love with the Freeslaves project! With great delight, Rose and her husband are now freely distributing Freeslaves business cards to everyone, everywhere they go! It is such an encouragement to us to see people across the world share a passion and joy to set the captives free!

Don’t you love the smell and feel of new books? Last week, we were able to provide four of our Freeslaves schools with new books for the new school year for a total cost of approximately $285 NZD. This brings so much joy to the children who seldom receive anything brand new! Take a close look at these faces, don’t they just melt your heart?

During the first quarter of 2023, we redeemed 27 families from bonded labour slavery in the brick kilns of Pakistan. That is 137 people who have received the gift of freedom through your generous donations. But it doesn’t stop there! Through your love in action, the following generations of all those 137 people have also been saved from a life of slavery! Debts that would otherwise have been passed down to the next generation have been paid in full. We may never know the full impact of our giving in this life, but we do know that the destiny of whole families is being changed. Thank you for being part of this freedom journey with us!

Water is life, but in Pakistan it can also be a source of death. 80% of all disease and 60% of all infant deaths are caused by polluted water. So for the Freeslaves project, we take every opportunity we can to supply rural villages with clean water wells.

The process of installing a water pump in a village can take up to two days, depending on whether heavy machinery is available or if the job has to be done by hand. Once a suitable site has been found, a hole is dug around 150-250ft deep using an auger and iron pipes. Next, iron or plastic pipes with built-in filters are placed in the hole. The last part of the job is to fit the hand pump on the outside. The pictures below show the installation of our latest water pump this week. It’s a gift that brings life and lasting joy to these small rural villages!