Victims of Violence – providing a home. Will you help?

Dijen Tadu was shot in the chest as he and his family fled the flames and bullets. It was 6 November 2016 and police in riot gear had marched into the desperately poor community of Santal people in Gaibandah District, Bangladesh, to evict them from their homes. Then, helped by local Muslims, the police set fire to the wooden shacks in which the Christians lived. By morning at least 5,500 Christians were homeless and three were dead.

Miraculously, Dijen survived. After three months in hospital, he came back to his village, but had no land, no house, nothing. 

A light from Jesus Christ

Then local church leaders told him that Barnabas Fund was building houses for the Santal victims, and he would get one of the first.

“Every day when work was progressing I came to see. I prayed and waited … I saw a small light that is from Jesus Christ that I will get a place to live,” said Dijen.

Finally the house was finished. After living in a wooden shack and then a makeshift tent, the sturdy brick house was a dream come true for Dijen.  “Now I have a real place to live.  Not only that, now we have a good toilet, school for the children and church nearby so we can worship.” 

Fifty homeless Santal families have recently moved into their brand new houses. But thousands more still need to be re-housed.

Phase 2 has started – please help

Phase 2 will provide another 50 homes. Each will have one brick room and a tin roof, plus a veranda used for cooking. Brick buildings, on church-owned land, make the Christians far less vulnerable to attack in future.

There will be six tube wells with hand pumps and twelve toilets, shared between the 50 families.

There will also be a large community area for daily activities, where children will play, adults meet to talk, and any formal events will take place.

Be a channel of God’s love to suffering Santal believers

“I don’t know where this money came from, but I bless them who helped me and my children,” said Dijen.

Please be a channel of God’s love. Your donation to Phase 2 will bring hope and joy to faithful brothers and sisters who have lost everything.

One gift of $1372 could build a one-room home

Two gifts of $91 could provide one tube well with hand pump

Ten gifts of $25 could provide one shared toilet

We are extremely grateful to all those who have already given. But help is still needed so that more Santal families who were forced from their village can have a new, safe home.