Home
News
Archives
Sri Lankan Christians urgently need food...

Email:

Sri Lankan Christians urgently need food after second flood

To

Email address:
Separate multiple addresses with a comma (,). Maximum of 10

From

Your name:
Your email address:
Security test:
Please enter the numbers that appear here in the box below.
 refresh captcha
CAPTCHA Image
Security code:

Details provided here will never be used in any other context

Published: Tuesday 15 February 2011

Sri Lankan Christians urgently need food after second flood

Project(s): 00-634

Country: Sri Lanka, South and East Asia

Christians in Sri Lanka are crying out for food after the country was ravaged by a second wave of extensive flooding in as many months.

People had no sooner returned home after the first flood, which started with heavy rainfall at the end of December and displaced more than 367,000 people, when a fresh deluge hit the east, centre and north of the island last week.

Sri-Lanka-2_4X3.jpg
Barnabas Aid partners load up aid supplies during last month's flooding

Barnabas Aid had already sent two grants that have helped thousands of Christian families affected by the floods last month and is now about to send more. We are therefore appealing for funds to help those in desperate need following the latest disaster. People are begging for food, which is unheard of in the region even during previous crises. A senior church leader in Sri Lanka said, "You can see from their eyes they are a broken people."

The floods have destroyed vital rice crops, which are normally harvested at this time of year, as well as vegetable crops and the mud houses in which many families live. Long-term help will therefore be required for Christians, as food prices soar and Sri Lanka faces a year of hunger.

Sri-Lanka-1_4X3.jpg
A scene from the first of Sri Lanka's two recent floods

Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, International Director of Barnabas Aid, has this weekend been in Sri Lanka meeting with the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) and other Christian partners who have been distributing food aid to affected Christian families.

Many Christians are staying in church buildings, where they are being fed. Over 700 Christian families received food through the first grant Barnabas Aid sent to NCEASL. Each was given a pack containing tea, soya, chick peas, lentils and powdered milk – enough for two weeks. This costs around £4.50 per family (€5.50, US$7.00, AU$7.00, NZ$9.50). Over 1,000 more families now need help from this partner alone.

Another Barnabas Aid partner is feeding at least 3,346 families, while another bought around 10,000 tonnes of food, which it is distributing to 700 Brethren families.

Dr Patrick Sookhdeo said:

I am deeply moved by the plight of Christians in Sri Lanka who are suffering once again after a succession of crises – a civil war, a tsunami and now two floods in just two months. Added to this, Sri Lankan Christians are increasingly despised and targeted with discrimination, harassment and violence. I have also been struck by the determination of our Christian partners to get aid to their brothers and sisters, who turn to their churches for help when disaster strikes.

Give Today

If you would like to donate to help our Christian brothers and sisters who have been affected by the flooding in Sri Lanka please send your donation to project 00-634 (Disaster Relief Fund).

If you prefer to telephone, dial: 0800 587 4006 from within the UK or +44 1672 565031 from outside the UK. Please quote project reference 00-634 (Disaster Relief Fund).

If you prefer to send a cheque by post: Click this link for the address of our regional office. Please quote project reference 00-634 (Disaster Relief Fund).

For a quick donation of £3.00 by SMS (see terms and conditions here) text Barnabas/634 to 70007 (Please note: This facility is presently only available to UK supporters).

Please Pray:
  • Thank God that the rain has stopped, and pray that the floodwaters will quickly recede so that people can return to their homes.
  • Give thanks for the unceasing efforts of Sri Lankan churches and Christian organisations to help those in need. Pray that they will receive all the funds and resources required.
  • Pray that Christians will not lose heart during this latest trial but will be able to testify to God's provision and protection.
Help Barnabas: Share this article

Email:

Sri Lankan Christians urgently need food after second flood

To

Email address:
Separate multiple addresses with a comma (,). Maximum of 10

From

Your name:
Your email address:
Security test:
Please enter the numbers that appear here in the box below.
 refresh captcha
CAPTCHA Image
Security code:

Details provided here will never be used in any other context

christian, persecution, charity, church, persecuted, sookhdeo, Islam

Other articles

Latest Emergency

/_images_files/content/article_files/Syria/201204/There-is-a-church-in-syria-4x3.jpg

Follow Barnabas

or

receive news & appeal emails as they are published

From Twitter

From Twitter_icon

  • Joseph Francis, Barnabas partner in Pakistan, hailed a "hero" in new book for his work to help the country's minorities http://t.co/tLEqVIz9 14 hours ago

  • #Christian gathering in Uzbekistan raided. All convicted for “Attracting believers of one confession to another” http://t.co/eWcBIuXe 14 hours ago

  • Islamists hurl bags of urine, sewage, rotten eggs and stones at beleaguered Indonesian congregation http://t.co/X8g78o4h Mon, May 2012 16:55

  • Burmese military kill two children from #Christian ethnic group http://t.co/Q40RCJkE Mon, May 2012 15:49

  • Sudan & S.Sudan agree 2 peace talks–but attacks continue "Khartoum is bombing civilian targets, killing women/children" http://t.co/ImZPDfxd Fri, May 2012 16:25

Read more...

Daily prayer

Daily prayer_icon

  • Three churches in the Iranian capital, Tehran, have recently been ordered to stop holding Friday services in Farsi, the Iranian national language. One church was told that if the order was ignored, the building would be bombed “as happens in Iraq every day”. It is easier for people to attend a church service on a Friday, the main weekend day, than on Sunday, which is a working day. The Iranian authorities are concerned at the number of Muslims turning to Christ, and these restrictions seem designed to make it harder for Muslims to hear the Gospel. Pray that the government’s plan will not succeed, and that the churches in Iran will continue to grow. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed 6 hours ago

  • Egyptians go to the polls tomorrow (23 May) for the first round of voting in landmark presidential elections. The contest will see Islamist candidates go head-to-head with former members of the Mubarak government and poses a huge dilemma for Christian voters. Despite suffering discrimination and persecution under the old regime, Christians are mostly supporting one of its candidates, fearing that an Islamist president would turn the country into an Islamic state. The Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate, Mohamed Mursi, has vowed to implement sharia if elected, and a recent opinion poll found strong support for this agenda. Pray that the new president will run Egypt in such a way that Christians “may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Timothy 2:2b), and that their rights will be upheld. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Tue, May 2012 00:00

  • The Cuban authorities have also been clamping down hard on Christian human rights activists. On 4 March, Caridad Caballero Batista and her husband Esteban Sade Suarez were detained on their way to church, mistreated and held in a poorly ventilated, mosquito-infested cell for three hours. Since the start of the year they have been blocked, and sometimes violently prevented, from attending Christian activities. Other Christian activists have also been arrested or prevented from attending worship services. Give thanks that the churches in Cuba are growing, and pray that they may be strong in the Lord (Ephesians 6:10). Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Mon, May 2012 00:00

  • Threats, beatings, arrests and fines: these are all penalties suffered by Cuban pastors in a recent crackdown by the authorities. One church leader, from Moa, sustained brain damage in a brutal assault on 6 February; it is thought he was targeted because he challenged the confiscation of a vehicle owned by the church. In another incident, on 25 February, four leaders were detained in Bayamo while sharing the Gospel at the local bus station. One of them was so badly beaten that he required hospital treatment. In Havana a pastor has been repeatedly fined huge sums because his church is not registered, while another has faced threats of violence because of his congregation’s outreach to people on the margins of society. Pray for these leaders as they recover from their ordeal, and for an end to the official harassment. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Sun, May 2012 00:00

  • Unregistered churches in Kazakhstan can face intense harassment from the authorities. On 8 February Aleksei Asetov, a father of ten, was given a fine equivalent to about 18 months earnings of an average wage for leading a small unregistered church that meets in his home in Ekibastuz in Pavlodar Region. His property was raided and Christian literature seized, and he was convicted of carrying out banned religious activity. He is the fourth Christian known to have been fined since the new Religion Law came into force. Pray that Christians will stand firm in their faith and show the love of Christ to those who persecute them. Subscribe to the prayer points rss feed Sat, May 2012 00:00

Read more...

Quick navigation

© Barnabas Aid 1997 - 2012 All rights reserved.
Barnabas Aid is a registered trade mark