Christian Freedom International

KATHMANDU, NEPAL (Christian Freedom International) -- Life in the brickyards often seems hopeless for those caught in its miserable trap—long days, grueling work, and minimal pay that doesn’t afford even the most basic of life’s necessities.

Young children work alongside their parents, struggling for years to repay family debts through the exhausting chore of making bricks. In the brickyards of Nepal, there is no access to education, medical care, or even enough food or decent housing for these suffering families.

But the approaching rainy season will force most laborers to temporarily leave the brickyards and relocate to nearby riverside or slum areas.

Many of the brick laborers are converts to Christianity and face harassment and persecution for their faith. Christian Freedom International helps new converts with food, medicine, medical care, Bibles, clothes, and shelter.

In a nation that was once called the world’s only “Hindu Kingdom,” Christianity has been growing at a remarkable rate. Nepal’s Christian population is estimated to be over 800,000, with approximately 170 churches in Kathmandu, the nation’s capital.

But Christians are still a minority in this isolated region of the world, and persecution is a grave reality for anyone of the Christian faith.

Outreach to the Chepang People
The Chepang people are one of the poorest and most isolated tribal groups in Nepal—so poor, in fact, that most of them survive on just the edible plants found in nearby forests.

Many go without proper clothing and blankets, even in the chilly winter months. Although they have existed in Nepal’s mountainous regions for centuries, their struggle to survive continues even today.

CFI supports an ongoing outreach ministry to these impoverished people, resulting in hundreds of conversions and the establishment of six new churches.

Through this ministry, scores of Chepang people receive clothing, blankets, food, Bibles, and medicine.

A CFI children’s feeding program in the Chepang village in Makwanpur recently provided meals for 345 children and 144 adults.

“I never got a chance to eat this much rice and meat before,” said Ram, age 11.

“I ate three times,” said Sunita, age 7.

Proselytizing by Christians is Explicitly Prohibited
Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with more than one-third of its population living below the poverty line. Home to Mt. Everest, the landlocked country has an area of 54,363 square miles and a population of 28 million.

Hindus constitute approximately 81 percent of the population; Buddhists 11 percent, Sunni Muslims approximately 4.2 percent, and practitioners of Kirant (an indigenous animist religion) about 4 percent. Christian leaders conservatively estimate the number of their adherents at more than 800,000 (3 percent).

In Nepal proselytizing by Christians is explicitly prohibited. There are officially no foreign missionaries; however, for decades dozens of Christian missionary hospitals, welfare organizations, and schools have operated.

However, if foreign workers are found proselytizing, they are arrested and expelled from the country. If Nepalese nationals are caught sharing their faith they are fined and imprisoned.

In theory, the Nepalese Constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of caste; in reality, however, the caste system strongly influences society. Most converts to Christianity are in the “lower castes,” including Dalits.

According to local Christians, Hindu extremism has increased in recent years, especially since the 2006 Parliamentary declaration of the country as a “secular state” instead of a “Hindu Kingdom.”

Converts to Christianity are ostracized and disowned by family members. Confrontations can be violent. Converts face persecution, hostility, and discrimination especially from Hindu extremist groups.

Many converts are forced to leave their home villages and are internally displaced throughout the country.

Click HERE to help Christians in Nepal