A Christian community in Sindh province, Pakistan is reeling from the devastating impact of recent flash flooding. The prolonged rains throughout the country have already claimed 159 lives, including many children. They have also caused significant damage, leaving families starving and homeless.
In Sindh the floods washed away the mud houses occupied by Christians at Khawaja Goth, a community that had previously survived the record-breaking floods of 2022. Despite its vulnerability, this community received no assistance from aid agencies or the Pakistani government.
The Christians at Khawaja Goth, who were already living in dire poverty, have lost everything and are now existing in makeshift tents. Local evangelist Prabhu Das described how their homes ‘collapsed from the relentless rain, forcing families to spend nights in the open air, shivering from the cold and wet weather’.
He added: ‘The cotton fields where the community worked have also been destroyed, so many have lost their only source of income. They cannot replace the food they have lost, so many are now starving.
‘We will struggle to rebuild, we will have to toil even harder in the fields, to raise the money to replace what we have lost.
‘Our community is in despair because it is hard to be hopeful when these floods have become so regular. We are praying that our government will take action to protect us from further floods.”
Juliet Chowdhry of the British Asian Christian Association expressed grave concern over the lack of support received by the Christian communities affected by the floods. ‘While billions in aid have been sent globally, none seems to have reached these vulnerable Christian families.’
