ETHIOPIA — When Abebu’s husband was killed in Ethiopia for his faith in 2013 Christian charity Open Doors stepped in to support her family. But seven years later when Covid-19 restrictions again left her unable to feed her children, the charity provided vital help to her as well as thousands of other families across Africa impacted by the pandemic.

In 2013 Abebu’s husband Ritter was on his way home from church when he was shot dead because of his faith in Jesus. Abebu a mother of eight children was left with no means to provide for her family. But Open Doors came beside them giving practical help as well as trauma care.

“You provided my children with school fees and you helped me to find this house. The church usually helps us out with food and clothes so that we lack nothing. May God bless my brothers and sisters.”

However when Covid-19 struck last year the economic restrictions make life terribly harder again. Abebu’s children used to be given meals at school. But boarding schools were closed and they had to return home. With the markets and churches shut too. Abebu couldn’t earn a living or receive her usual help.

“Before the Covid-19 restrictions we used to go to the market to buy big bags of grain. The next day we would re-sell the grain in smaller portions. With the profit we made we bought salt, coffee, grains and we lived on that. But now we have used up all the money we had earned and we can’t do anything but stay at home. These days all the churches have closed. That means that our church doesn’t have any income so they can’t help us with food. Please pray for me that the God who helped me yesterday will also help me today.”

Thankfully Abebu was helped as part of the Open Doors relief effort to provide for 15,000 families in Africa effected by Covid-19.

About Open Doors UK

Open Doors is a non-denominational mission that supports persecuted Christians in over 70 countries where Christianity is socially or legally discouraged or oppressed. In their work, they provide vital support, training, and resources to those facing persecution or discrimination.

Resources that they provide include distributing Bibles and literature, running leadership training, assisting with socio-economic development and intercessory prayer. They also help victims of violence and disaster, including widows and orphans, with practical support such as relief aid, livelihood support, and community development projects.

Their vision is of a world in which every Christian who is persecuted is remembered and supported by other Christians. They pray for a world where there is no persecution.

Read more news on Ethiopia, Disaster Relief, Widow, and the COVID 19 crisis.

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