In just one hour…
Everything Jemal* had worked almost 50 years to build went up in flames.
In just one day…
His entire life, and the lives of other believers in his village, turned to ash.
Believers across Sub-Saharan Africa face unspeakable violence—coordinated efforts to remove their presence. Christians in Ethiopia, including Jemal, have endured attacks that have split up their families, destroyed their homes, shattered their livelihoods, and forced them to flee.
Yet more violence.
Yet more tragedy.
Yet more cries to stop the violence and start the healing.
Please, help start the healing today.
It began as organised violence usually begins —with divisive whispers. Looking back, there were clear signs that trouble was brewing. But there had been trouble before.
You see, Jemal and his wife Fatima* were Muslims. They became Christians as young parents and endured the customary rejection of families and neighbours—almost a rite of new believers in their area. But they were part of a strong faith community, which gave them agency to live intentionally for Christ. Jemal pursued peace with Muslims around him. And the peace lasted for what he thought would be forever.
He became a successful man through his steel manufacturing and woodwork businesses. Life was stable and secure.
“We had a very good life,” he says heavily. “My whole family and I go to church and worship God on Sundays and Wednesdays.”
And then, visiting Muslim clerics gathered in local mosques to target them. “[The clerics] began by isolating us,” Jemal remembers. “They told the community not to talk to us. For six months, they did their work [spread lies] in secret.”
With each visit to the mosque, the community grew more hostile toward the Christians in their midst. The silent treatment escalated to boycotting Christian businesses, which then erupted to a night and a day of mob violence. If he hadn’t lived through it, Jemal would never have believed what happened next.
“In just one hour they destroyed everything I owned.”
“They began the attack on Monday night,” he says, still in disbelief. “By Tuesday, they even tried to kill me. Mobs of people went from house to house, singling out Christian homes and businesses, destroying whatever they could find and setting it on fire. In just one hour they destroyed everything I owned and built-up over the years. In a single day, they turned everything to ash.”
Many of the mob had been his friends, people his family trusted and respected. Over 215 Christian homes were destroyed that day, and 375 families, including Jemal’s, went on the run.
Across the African continent, believers like Jemal experience new depths of chaos, fear, and violence every day. Their attackers don’t hold back—not even when they beg them to. In Jemal’s village, the uprising had one purpose: “They did not want Christians to remain in the town,” he explains. “Their goal was to eliminate Christianity.”
Today, your gift will make a profound difference to believers in desperate need of food, water, medical care, shelter, and hope for the future.
$20 will meet the crucial needs of a believer in Africa for a month, including food, shelter, and clothing.
$55 will train a local pastor to provide trauma care to Christians facing extreme persecution.
$150 will provide a vulnerable believer with essential medical care.
$250 will help two persecuted believers set up a small business such as farming, carpentry, or soap-making for long-term financial security.
$400 will provide a Christian affected by extreme persecution with hope and healing through trauma care.
Reliving a Nightmare
Jemal fights back tears as he relives the anxiety that gripped him when his pregnant daughter went into labour. The contractions started soon after the violence erupted. They made it to a hospital, but no doctor would help her.
“The doctors refused to treat her because she was a Christian,” Jemal says, wiping tears from his eyes with his forefinger and thumb. “One doctor finally felt sorry for my daughter and gave her her own [Muslim] head covering [to disguise her as a Muslim]. Then, she gave birth and delivered her child. It was a horrible experience. I was so stressed that I might lose her.”
There was another issue: during the chaos Jemal and his wife had been separated from the rest of their children. The betrayal of his community was difficult—but this was unbearable.
“My greatest fear was that they would kill my children,” Jemal says, tearing up again. “I was overwhelmed and paralysed. Think about it: your children are separated and far away. I was devastated. Still the feeling of that moment remains with me. It deeply affected me.”
They found each other beyond the reaches of the mob, far from the fires and raging threats. They took shelter with other displaced families on the compound of a welcoming church. There were 136 of them all together. They were safe, but the ordeal had done its damage.
“I temporarily lost the taste of walking with God,” Jemal says honestly. “Following the destruction of the property, my daughter hospitalised, my children dispersed.”
For a time, his thoughts rapidly turned to vengeance. “It truly wounded me,” he says of the horrific acts committed by his community—his friends. “We were family, we had shared meals and lived together. And I felt very sorrowful. I felt like taking revenge on them.”
The Aftermath of Violence
It’s all too common that in the aftermath of violence, believers are left navigating a host of strong emotions: fear, anger, helplessness, and despair. Their healing takes time but can begin with practical measures such as addressing their trauma, and enabling them with means to protect and provide for their families. Importantly, reminding them of God’s love and promises helps ease their suffering and fuel their resilience.
Your gift can do all this today by empowering persecuted believers in Sub-Saharan Africa with income-generation training, food, shelter, medical assistance, God-centred trauma care, and more.
Just $55 will train a local pastor to provide trauma care to Christians facing extreme persecution.
When Open Doors heard of the violence, they immediately responded with emergency relief. Thanks to supporters like you, Jemal’s was one of many grieving families who received food supplies and trauma care. He was also gifted new machinery and the necessary raw materials to start up his woodwork and steel manufacturing businesses again. Other believers were equipped to bake bread and sew clothes. Some even opened restaurants.
“We did not have any other means of surviving if the ministry had not bought us that equipment,” Jemal says. “We might have been subjected to selling the land. This ministry helped us to stand on our feet. You helped us feed our children. I really love this ministry. May God bless you all!”
In surviving a life-changing trial and in the rallying around of fellow believers to bear up his family, Jemal has made a surprising discovery.
“Through all of this my faith has grown stronger. It has not weakened,” he reflects. “Now I say, ‘Oh, God is so loving.’ Now I dedicate more time to the Lord. My affection for God has increased considerably. I have come to realise the truth of the teachings contained within the Bible.”
Let me assure you that your generosity toward the persecuted impacts them far beyond meeting their urgent needs. It can reach the depths of their afflictions too, helping to repair and restore, bring healing and hope. What you do truly makes a difference—both immediate and eternal. Jemal can provide for his family again because supporters like you took action.
“I am very happy now. I am very happy now. I am very happy,” he says, his expression saturated with gratitude. “I was left with nothing before but now I am able to provide for them again. You are the ones making it possible for my children to eat.”
Millions of persecuted believers across Sub-Saharan Africa still desperately need your help. Will you give to repair, restore, heal, and bring hope?
“One Christian can be medicine for another Christian,” Jemal says of how powerful your support can be.
We wholeheartedly agree.
Thank you so very much for your faithful dedication to our persecuted family in Sub-Saharan Africa.
*Name changed for security purposes.
