Last September, CRY travelled to Pakistan alongside our friends and partners at KCC Church to visit our local project partner. Here’s a glimpse of what we experienced, witnessed, and learned along the way.
Pakistan is a country rich in culture, full of colour, amazing food, and extraordinary hospitality.
Everywhere we went, we were welcomed with warmth, kindness, and generosity. From everyday citizens at petrol stations to local authorities, people went out of their way to make us feel welcome, always reassuring us that if we needed anything, we should not hesitate to ask.
Yet, beyond this wonderful hospitality lies another reality. One of hardship, discrimination, and even persecution faced by some communities at the hands of those with ill intentions.
One of the teachers at the CRY-supported school in Pakistan.
The communities that CRY work alongside in Pakistan are among the most marginalised, underprivileged and persecuted in the country.
Most of them are known by many labels: the so-called “untouchable” caste, brick kiln workers, Christians or, in the eyes of some religious extremists, “infidels”. While these labels have different meanings and origins, they often point to a shared reality: communities facing discrimination, poverty, and exclusion.
For these communities in particular, their faith, whether deeply held or simply inherited through family and culture, can expose them to further discrimination and persecution. Pakistan ranks eighth on Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List, highlighting the serious challenges faced by Christians in the country.
Girls concentrating on their studies at the CRY-supported school.
Our week was packed with activities. We visited several children’s club programmes across different villages, spent time at a school supported by CRY, met families living in some of the country’s most vulnerable communities, and visited a church construction project in which Catalyst and KCC have invested.
We also had the privilege of participating in three open-air church meetings in the evenings, worshipping and sharing fellowship with our Pakistani brothers and sisters.
Throughout the week, we witnessed both the harsh realities faced by these communities and the extraordinary faith, determination and resilience of the people we met.
Three things stood out to us in particular:
1) Courage
The courage of our Christian brothers and sisters is remarkable. Their faith is not simply something they practise on a "Sunday"; it is an identity that can come with genuine risks, discrimination and significant personal sacrifice.
Yet, despite the challenges they face, we encountered people whose faith, hospitality, generosity and determination were moving and inspirational. There was a genuine hunger to know God more deeply, with people attending meetings despite the serious backlash and risks they could face.
2) Education in these communities is far more powerful than many of us in the West might imagine.
Education is something we can easily take for granted. Yet, for the children and families we visited, access to education represents something extraordinary: an opportunity to break the cycle of generational poverty, escape exploitation and build a different future.
For some children, the alternative to school is a life spent making bricks in extreme conditions or staying at home to care for younger siblings while their parents work. Education is not simply about learning to read and write. It is about dignity, opportunity, freedom and hope. We are so grateful that we, as a charity, can play a part in shaping children's future away from exploitation.
A child working all day in unimaginable conditions, making up to 1,000 bricks to meet the daily quota.
3) We in the West have so much to learn from our family in Pakistan.
We travelled to Pakistan to encourage, support and stand alongside our partners and the communities they serve. Yet, we returned having received so much ourselves. There is something deeply humbling about witnessing the faith, generosity and hospitality of people who, materially speaking, have little, yet have so much to teach us about what truly matters: community, unity, resilience, faith, and forgiveness.
4) What can you do to help?
The work CRY is doing, in the school and among children in rural communities, is creating a pathway for over 80 children to escape a life of brick-making and instead attend school, receive an education and build a brighter future.
However, like many projects across the charity sector, this vital work is at risk. Every year, CRY must raise the funds needed to keep these children in education and ensure this life-changing work can continue. This is becoming increasingly difficult in light of the global economy, inflation, and even political polarisation.
You can help secure their future.
By donating to this project, 100% of your gift will go directly towards supporting and sustaining this work, giving these children the opportunity to learn, grow, and rise beyond poverty.
