Refugees from around the world come to Thailand hoping to obtain official refugee status. Currently, there are approximately 8,000 refugees in Bangkok, with the largest group being Christians from Pakistan.

They flee to Bangkok because obtaining a 60-day tourist visa is the quickest, cheapest way to escape Pakistan. The United Nations refugee agency also has a headquarters in Bangkok. If they receive official refugee status from the UN, the UN will try to help them resettle in a safe country.

However, most Pakistani Christians are rejected by UNHCR, dashing their hopes of finding freedom in a new country.

In Bangkok, refugees are forbidden from working, unable to speak the language, and live in constant fear of arrest. If arrested, they are detained indefinitely or return to Pakistan, where they face persecution or death.

With no one to turn to, refugees are forced into begging – or worse – in order to survive. .

Desperate, refugees flock to churches, but the need is too overwhelming for local churches to effectively help all the families.

Poverty and arrest is not the end of the story. With your help, we are creating a new future for refugees, where families live with hope and purpose.