Alone, Because of Her Faith

For children from Bangladesh who are bulled and isolated because of their faith, Christmas offers a rare moment of joy. Your support can help ensure they don’t spend Christmas alone.

Nine-year-old Rumana sits alone in an empty classroom, in a school in north-west Bangladesh.

The sound of other children having fun drifts through the window. But Rumana is not welcome among them. “I don’t have any friends because I’m a Christian,” says Rumana, sadly. “Parents and teachers tell the other children, ‘Don’t mingle with the Christian’.”

It’s not just Rumana who’s a target.

In a nearby village, Moryom, the nine-year-old daughter of a church pastor, walks to school alone because local rickshaw drivers refuse to take her. In the classroom, teachers turn a blind eye to the bullying.

“My classmates mock me and sometimes throw bricks at me,” says Moryom. “They say they will only play with me if I come back to Islam.”

Picture of persecution

This is the heartbreaking picture of persecution among children.

While adult believers make a conscious decision to accept the cost of following Jesus, children don’t. They are among the most vulnerable of all persecuted Christians, and the trauma they experience can have a lifelong impact.

Rumana will never forget the day she returned from school to find her home ablaze, smoke billowing from the roof. “No one from our village offered any help,” she recalls. With nowhere to go, Rumana’s family built a shed in their yard and started living there.

Children like Rumana and Moryom keep following Jesus – but they feel alone. And if young people are isolated from the body of Christ, how can they withstand the pressures they face daily? The future of the church is at risk.

Christmas joy

Open Doors has a vision to provide shelter, trauma counselling, education and relief to persecuted children. Above all, children should not be alone – especially at Christmas.

“I love to celebrate Christmas,” exclaims Rumana, her eyes shining. Moryom adds, “All our church gathers and we have lots of fun, singing, dancing, praying and reading Scriptures.”

For children who endure daily rejection because of their faith, Christmas is a rare moment of joy and celebration. It’s an opportunity we cannot let them miss.

Your support can bring children like Rumana and Moryom together to celebrate Jesus’ birth in a safe place. With your gifts and prayers, they can forget persecution for one day – and experience joy.

“It’s only because of Jesus’ love that I have survived until now, despite all the persecution,” says Rumana. “His love has guided me this far. I know I am on the right path.”

Will you give the gift of joy to a persecuted child this Christmas?

Please pray

• Ask God to protect Rumana and Moryom from cruelty and persecution.
• Give thanks for the girls’ steadfast faith and willingness to forgive.
• For persecuted children around the world, particularly at Christmas.

Please give

• Every $62 could give joy to an isolated child, by bringing them a special Christmas gathering. You can give a gift here.