For many Pakistani Christians, options for work are difficult to come by, and many end up in terrible, bonded labor contracts that they can’t escape.
Scout Team lead, Kevin Stark, is on the ground in Pakistan this week too see the economic enslavement first-hand and to explore how agriculture is leading to freedom, self sufficiency, and opportunity for heavily-persecuted brothers and sisters there in south Asia.
The man pictured to the left was set free six months ago and is now managing at a demonstration farm—note the brick kiln in the back of the farm. We’ll refrain from naming him, but he is the lead of this agricultural effort to help stabilize life for newly-freed families.
He shared with Kevin, “People used to refer to me as ‘Nobody,’ I wasn’t anything to them. Now they call me Mister, a landowner and respected farmer.”
Dignity is a core value of AgGrandize, and we’re seeing incredibly dignifying work happening among enslaved people here, and agriculture could a big part of that. We’re here to see how ag might fit into their work and whether we could help.
Fun fact: the name on that green sign he’s leaning on says “Freedom,” a beautiful name for a farm dedicated to setting people free from bondage.
The photo above shows families who were just rescued this past week. The organization we’re in Pakistan with has helped liberate 3,600 families (including around over 9,000 children ages 5-18) from bonded labor.
You can see more about bonded labor here, but the short version is families are trapped in cycles of economic bondage through unjust labor contracts with brick making companies, whose predatory practices are essentially a form of modern day slavery.
Pictured above: Kevin presenting to the Chamber of Commerce in Faisalabad, Pakistan.
More to come from Pakistan as Kevin has time (and wifi) to update us, stay tuned for more on this beautiful work!