In 2014, ISIS attacked the Christian city of Qeraqosh in Iraq. Thousands of Christians fled with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
During their time as refugees, they lived off their savings and were left penniless. When ISIS was defeated in 2017, Christian families gradually began to return home to Qeraqosh and the city is slowly coming back to life.
Prior to the invasion of ISIS, Qeraqosh was the agricultural hub of Iraq. Chicken farming was particularly common, providing an income for hundreds of farmers in the surrounding area before their displacement.
ISIS completely destroyed these farms using them as military sites; with the destruction of these farms, Qeraqosh’s economy crumbled.
Badri and Evan are two of these Christian farmers. Both men’s homes and farms were destroyed and the thought of rebuilding seemed impossible.
Although they had worked independently in the past, they concluded that working together would improve their chances of rebuilding their farms and saving their large families.
These are the type of men we look for as we seek to rebuild Qeraqosh. We provided them with most of the upfront costs necessary to rebuild their farms, including providing them with 3,000 chicks, several tons of chicken feed, medicine, and more.
Each farm we rebuild has a ripple effect on the Christian community. Farming was the foundation of the Christians in Qeraqosh. As Christians across Iraq hear that the city is being rebuilt, they begin coming back and the city itself is coming back to life.
Thanks to you and your partnership, we aren’t just touching lives, we’re transforming entire communities. From the bottom of my heart, and on behalf of the Christians in Qeraqosh, I want to thank you for caring for your brothers and sisters at their most desperate moment.
They can’t tell you, so I will. They are amazed by the body of Christ working as it should. They feel and see the Father’s touch in your touch and His glory spreads.
