Vietnam: 18 Christian Families Excluded From Receiving Aid During COVID-19 Crisis

Market in Dalat City, Vietnam Vietnam lifted its nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic on April 23, and some Vietnamese have begun to go back to their normal lives. But the government and several charitable organizations still provide support nationwide, especially to those who have low incomes or have lost their jobs during the lockdown. There are 18 Christian families (107 individuals in total, including elderly people and children) who are from one of the districts of northern Vietnam, bordering China, who are supposed to receive this assistance. The support is provided through the local authorities but none of this was support was received by them. Instead, the authorities told them, “You are Christians and your God shall take care of your family! The government is not responsible of your families!” According to an Open Doors local partner, “These families are poor. They work and live near the border of China but due to COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on the country, their work has stopped. They strive to put food on their tables and they consume their rice little by little every day. When they learned that the government’s support was coming to their district, they were so happy, only to find out that they were not on the list because they are Christians.” Open Doors, through our local partners, is currently in touch with these families and are arranging to provide food packs and other urgent needs for these families. Vietnam ranks no.21 in the World Watch List.

PLEASE PRAY

• Pray that the Lord will touch the hearts of the local authorities and move them to provide the believers with what they need. Pray that the authorities will also get to experience the God of these 18 families.
• Pray for the believers, that they will hold on to God’s promises in this trying time.
• These families of Christians may not be the only believers in Vietnam who are receiving this kind of treatment from the government. Pray that the Lord will use His people to minister to them. May the Lord our Father be their greatest comforter and provider at this time of crisis.

 

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URGENT

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