The church gives concrete opportunities to the persecuted in Pakistan
“Psalm 121 is my favorite.”
Lahore, Pakistan
CVTC has a large space where the students play cricket when they are not in vocational training classes.
I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
– Psalm 121 v 1-2
This Psalm is a favorite of Danish, a current student at the Christian Vocational Training Center (CVTC) in Lahore, Pakistan. Danish reports, “I am very happy in Christian Vocational Training Centre. In the boarding, we get good meals and in addition to training we play games. We have devotion in the morning and evening. I love singing Psalms and Psalm 121 is my favorite.”
Danish’s father is a laborer who makes barely enough income to survive. Discriminated because of their Christian faith and their extreme poverty, the parish priest recommended Danish enroll in CVTC. Now Danish is training to become an electrician and plans to support his family once he has completed the program.
CVTC is a lifeline for students like Danish, who come from poor, Christian families that face increased discrimination in Pakistan. While Danish’s parents are still living, many Christian children are orphaned when their parents are killed or are forced into Muslim marriages. Seventy-five percent live below the poverty line. Without access to education like that offered at CVTC, these children will grow up with limited economic options.
Both girls and boys receive health checkups from visiting doctors.
The Anglican Church in Lahore built the Christian Vocational Training Center with funds from the Barnabas Fund. In 2017, ARDF began partnering with the Diocese of Lahore to equip the school and to provide on-site medical care. We are happy to report that the center has been serving students and the community in exciting ways. Forty students are currently receiving vocational training.
Health and on-site healthcare is a critical part of the project. Students are seen monthly by a doctor and nurse visiting the school. In addition, the Diocese has organized a community outreach program that includes mobile health clinics and medical camps, serving both Christians and Muslims. This outreach into the community is important.
Despite the hostile environment in Pakistan, CVTC is providing a safe place for Christians to grow in faith. ARDF is proud to partner with the Church in Lahore. They are doing amazing work under very difficult circumstances.
Whenever you feel someone has slighted you, or held an unfair belief about you, please remember to pray for these students in Pakistan, for whom the church is now providing much needed hope and opportunity.
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