The congregation at Vankleek Hill Baptist Church raised $1,550 on Saturday, June 7, during Trash N’ Treasure day in Vankleek Hill. This will go towards paying off the debts of possibly two Pakistani families who are living in what is basically slavery, working in brick kilns in that country.
In Pakistan, millions of people work as indentured servants in brick kilns for oppressive landlords due to unpaid debts accumulated over generations. Many of these debts are for amounts of money that most people in the western world could easily pay, but for already impoverished Pakistanis, it is impossible. Wages are extremely small, and interest on debts is high. As a result, people live and work in perpetual servitude.
For Christian families trapped working in Pakistan’s brick kilns, an unpaid debt is passed from one generation to the next, and due to the unreasonable financial conditions, it is often impossible to repay the debt.
Vankleek Hill Baptist Church Missions Coordinator Leola Meagher said that some of the funds raised were not from selling Trash N’ Treasure items, but from individuals who felt the cause was important to support.
“Some people even gave monetary gifts for our project. At the end of the day we had raised $1,550, perhaps enough to free 2 families from bondage,” Meagher said.
The money raised in Vankleek Hill will be sent to Partners International, a mission organization that is involved in the brick kilns community to help free the most vulnerable and at-risk families, and also provides training programs for them.
“A big thank you to the Vankleek Hill community that pulled together to make this happen,” Meagher said.
