Please help Christian children this Christmas

"I am like this thirsty camel, longing to drink the water but I cannot because there is blood in it."

"Ramez," aged 10, lives with his widowed mother in Aleppo, Syria. His father was killed by a bomb.B Barnabas Aid provides clothes for him once a year, shoes twice a year, and school supplies. We also help with food for the whole family. Ramez is one of 193 fatherless Christian children in Aleppo for whom Barnabas Aid is caring.

As well as practical needs there is a spiritual program to help these youngsters deal with the trauma they have endured. At a meeting a couple of months ago, Ramez was asked to draw a picture to show how he felt. He drew a camel in the desert with a pool nearby. He colored the water blue around the edge and red in the middle. "I am like this thirsty camel," he said, "longing to drink the water but I cannot because there is blood in it."

Hungry at home, suffering at school

Children are often on the front line of anti-Christian persecution. When discrimination reduces their family to grinding poverty, and children have to go to bed hungry, their health is affected. Many Christian parents cannot afford to send their children to school. Those who do go to school may face discrimination, hostility, or even violence. Some teachers fail their students, just because they are Christians. Some are pressured by teachers to convert to the majority religion.

Barnabas Aid supports 79 Christian schools in Asia and the Middle East. This means that thousands of Christian children, growing up in environments where they are poor and despised, get an education in a loving Christian environment and therefore a hope for the future. We also support eleven Christian orphanages and hostels.