Since 1955
We support people who are beaten, tortured, laughed at, imprisoned, falsely accused, disowned, ignored and hated simply for following Jesus.
Across the world, the spread of coronavirus is having a devastating effect. Lockdown means that many Christians no longer have income and can’t buy food. On top of this, Christians are often ignored when official aid is distributed. They desperately need our help today. Could you raise money with the 2.6 Challenge or give financially now?
“Most church members are daily wage labourers,” says Rahul*, an Open Doors partner in India. “No work for the day means no food for the day. We have a plan to reach out to those who are truly starving. Can Open Doors please help?”
Open Doors is reaching some of those affected, but much, much more needs to be done.
“I saw men, women and children crying of hunger; it’s tragic,” says an Open Doors partner in Syria. “We’re in dire need of funds to support a larger number of families. We’ve helped 80 families, but the number of needy families is much higher.”
Can you help bring vital food to those who need it the most?
Every £14 could mean a Rapid Response team can courageously bring emergency aid to a persecuted believer.
*Name changed for security reasons
Raise money with the 2.6 Challenge!
Could you use your time during the lockdown to raise money for persecuted Christians who are in massive need because of the coronavirus? Take part in the 2.6 Challenge!
The 2.6 Challenge can be any activity you like – from running 2.6 miles to holding an online workout with 26 of your friends (remember to follow Government guidelines on how to exercise safely). Could you yodel for 26 minutes, walk 26 miles over the course of a few days or wear fancy dress for 26 hours? What could you do?
Sam and some of his friends have already raised money by running a marathon relay (26 miles) and Grace generated funds by baking 26 cakes and dropping them off on friends doorsteps. Eliza went further taking 54,000 steps in her garden, which is the equivalent of climbing Everest!
Whatever your age or ability, you can take part. After all, we’re not looking for superheroes. We’re looking for Home Heroes.
Choose your #TwoPointSixChallenge, then use the link below to sign up (it’s all automated through JustGiving, meaning you can send out notifications to people to encourage sponsorship too).
Could you send a vital gift of hope this Christmas?
The war in Syria is now seven years old and Open Doors church partners are courageously continuing their vital work. Every month, they are feeding thousands of desperate families who have been left with nothing, alongside long-term projects such as rebuilding homes, creating jobs and providing trauma care.
But this work can’t continue without your prayers and support. You can’t help every family in Syria – but you could put food into the hands of one family, and help them to survive until the crisis is over. Even a small gift could make a huge difference.
Every £10 could provide a week’s emergency food supplies for a displaced family in Syria who have no other means of support.
Send a gift of hope to a young person facing persecution as a present for a loved one!
Struggling for present ideas? Not sure what to give someone who has everything? Why not send a present to a young Christian as a gift for a friend or family member this Christmas!
In places where young Christians face pressure, violence and intimidation, a Bible, special present or other gift can remind them they are not alone and are part of a global Church family – an amazing source of hope, comfort and strength.
A gift of £20 could provide a Christmas present for a persecuted child to let them know that their church family loves them.
A gift of £8 could provide a Bible to a young Christian facing persecution to give them access to God’s Words of hope.
But what do I give my loved one?
If you send a Christmas gift we’ll send you a link to a downloadable certificate that you can print off and give as a present to your loved one. This certificate explains that you chose to send a gift to a young persecuted Christian on their behalf. Simples!
Send your Christmas gift by filling out the form now…
In the event that more funds are raised than our children’s projects can use at this time, they will be used to support persecuted Christians where the need is greatest.
As well as raising prayers and awareness, Open Doors provides practical and physical support, training and help to people who are at risk simply for following Jesus.
When you give you can choose to donate to the following areas*:
Where help is most needed
The situation facing many followers of Jesus seems hopeless, but your prayers and support can have a huge impact.
Transform the lives of children facing persecution
Help give a child or young person resources, training or an education that will give them a new future.
Hope for the Middle East
Christians in Iraq, Syria and other parts of the Middle East face the dangers of war and the threat of attack by Islamic extremists. Many courageous Christians are now returning to their communities – but need the long-term support of their global church family to rebuild hope for the future.
Secret Believers
Many Christians have to keep their faith in Jesus a complete secret – even from their own families. Help provide resources and support to help them grow and stand strong.
Choose to Lose sponsorship
You can also use the form to send in any money you have raised the Choose to Lose Challenge, just enter the amount raised in the special Choose to Lose field.
Example gifts:
£8 could provide a young person from Central Asia with a Bible in their own language
£26 could provide trauma care for a victim of violent persecution
Thank you so much for any money you give.
*Any excess funds will help to strengthen persecuted Christians where the need is greatest.
Half of the 3.2 million Syrian refugees are under 17. These children have fled their homes, towns, churches and schools due to fighting, intimidation and fear.
They’ve lost everything they own. And many are at risk of losing out further as in fleeing they can no longer go to school. Many have missed months, if not years of education, putting their chances of reaching their full potential at risk. Faiez, a Christian Dad affected by the crisis in the Middle East, is worried. He asks ‘What is the future for my children?’
Could you help? Could you restore hope?
Just £13 can provide a month’s education for one child from a family that has had to flee because of persecution.
Your prayers and gifts can help us support young people like Faiez’s children, helping them continue their education, ensuring they have the chance of a brighter future.
Thank you for the gift you’ve just given or order you have just made to support the work of Open Doors. Your support really does make a difference to the lives of people who share our faith but not our freedom.
It is because of generosity like yours that Open Doors is able to continue its vital work of serving the persecuted church around the world.
God is working powerfully through His suffering people. Despite great oppression and opposition, they are bringing the love of Jesus to the hurting and broken, shining the light of the gospel in the places where faith costs the most.
Please remember them in your prayers – to help you know what to pray check out the regular updates here. If you haven’t already, you can also sign up to receive our free mini youth mag, The Cost. We send out copies around 3 times a year and it’s packed full of updates, encouraging articles and tips to help you pray for persecuted Christians.
Thank you again for your support of Open Doors. We’ll be praying that God blesses you as you live wholeheartedly for him.
Amel is 19 years old. Just a few years ago she couldn’t read or write. She lives in rural Egypt where 60% of people are illiterate, a stat that dramatically increases amongst women as girls are rarely sent to school. Instead, young women are often expected to stay at home and look after any animals or livestock the family is lucky enough to own.
Shockingly, teenage girls face an extremely tough time. They are often victims of sexual abuse or harassment. In a culture aggressive towards Christianity, Christian girls are particularly vulnerable.
Amel was 16 when she started attending literacy classes run by Open Doors. There were 15 others in her group, and they met 3 times a week. All of them learnt to read by taking the stories of the Bible as their starting point.
Learning to read and write has literally transformed Amel’s life:
‘I feel proud and feel of value’. More than simply being able to understand the world better, Amel’s sense of self worth, confidence and faith have come alive.
And now, well… she’s a full time worker in her church.
Along with a friend, she regularly teaches the Bible to 100 different groups, all of which include 15 or more young people! At 19 she’s teaching, mentoring, and pastoring nearly 1500 teenagers.
Not bad right? You can help transform the lives of young people like Amel.
£10 can buy, send and deliver a Bible to a young Christian facing persecution
£22 can pay one month’s school fees for a child that has lost family due to extreme persecution
Whether it’s what’s happening in Syria, Iraq, North Korea or Nigeria, we’ll often run specific campaigns to help raise money for an unfolding situation or crisis. We’re supporting churches on the ground in Syria, providing support to thousands of families who either can’t leave the country or who have bravely chosen to stay. We’ll update the site with specific campaigns and appeals as they arise. You can find out any specific areas of need by looking on our Give Now page.
2. Providing Bibles
Open Doors started back in 1955 with Brother Andrew smuggling Bibles into Poland. We’re still all about getting God’s word to places where it’s illegal or outlawed today. We want to provide physical and spiritual support, and if God’s church around the world is to be all we hope it can, Christians in places like North Korea, Iran and Somalia desperately need God’s word to encourage, strengthen and develop their faith.
£10 can provide a Bible for a young Christian facing persecution
Check out this video of Chinese believers receiving their own Bible’s for the first time. If you needed any convincing that Bible’s aren’t a gift worth giving then this is likely to change your mind.
Chinese Christians receiving their first ever Bibles
Disclaimer: This wasn’t an Open Doors project, but is shows the reality that Christians facing persecution really do need a Bible.
Transform the lives of children
Open Doors is involved in education and training projects for young people all across the world. In Colombia we help run a home for children who’ve lost parents as a result of the war between rebels and the government. Across Africa we help children who’ve lost parents or family members due to persecution by paying school fees to ensure they can stay in education. In places like Egypt, we’re helping young women learn to read and write – an opportunity that 60% of girls in rural areas will never have. These and loads more projects are committed to transforming the lives, opportunities and experiences of young people who are growing up in a context of persecution.
£22 can provide a month’s school fees for a child who has lost a parent or been orphaned due to persecution
Where help is most needed
Sadly there is always a need. Sometimes we can’t always talk openly or advertise where the money we raise goes as it could put our partners, workers and the people we hope to help in danger. That’s the case generally with North Korea. We can tell you that we are providing training, materials and support to secret North Korean church networks, and money given to this area will always be well used, even if we can’t be specific about the details.
£6 can provide a single survival pack for a secret Christian in North Korea, the most hostile place in the world to be a Christian.
We support people who are beaten, tortured, imprisoned, falsely accused, and hated simply for following Jesus.
