Updates from the field
Life Renewed for Persecuted Minorities
Your support of Shai Fund helped two Christian converts flee al-Shabab and find safety
June 03, 2025 | by Charmaine Hedding
They met quietly in a home in secret, whispering prayers and reading Scripture. But the radical terrorist group al-Shabab found them. And within hours, most were dead.
Al-Shabab burned down the house. The terrorists captured most of the Christians and took them to a nearby beach. There, the terrorists executed one of them for their faith, leaving only two survivors – a man and a woman – who fled for their lives.
Persecuted Minorities Seek Safety
It is easy to take for granted the freedom of religion enjoyed in the Western world. In parts of East Africa, converting from Islam to another religion, or even having no religion at all, carries immense risk.
The simple act of changing one's faith can become a death sentence.
Shai Fund was asked to help the two persecuted converts to Christianity and find them a safe place to live.
Through careful maneuvering, we extracted the man and woman, but the threat didn't vanish. This encounter with al-Shabab revealed the terrorists’ sophistication–a tech-savvy and organized network relentlessly pursuing people they deemed apostates.
A dangerous game of cat and mouse ensued.
The survivors were moved from one secure location to another, security measures implemented after each departure. In a chilling testament to their reach, al-Shabab operatives would arrive at the vacated safe houses, seeking information.
Simultaneously, the terrorist militia launched a brazen social media campaign, plastering images on Facebook and Instagram depicting individuals with nooses around their necks, accompanied by explicit threats of death for converting from Islam to Christianity.
Shai Funds Bands With Community to Serve
We thank God, the efforts to protect the two Christians succeeded, and they eventually found safety in Europe.
These two individuals can now rebuild their lives without fearing for their lives. They live with dignity and hope for a brighter future.
This small-scale rescue operation is just as crucial as our larger endeavors, such as the Afghanistan airlifts and ongoing work in Syria, where entire communities face persecution for their beliefs.
Before
- Hunted by terrorists
- Moving from safe house to safe house
- Death threats on social media
After
- Free to live and worship
- Resettled with dignity
- Protected and building a future
Shai Fund does not do this work alone. Communities, churches, and individuals all contribute to the safety and security of persecuted minorities in East Africa and across the Middle East. It takes a team of dedicated individuals who put their lives at risk to help their brothers and sisters in humanity.
It also takes prayers and moral support from people like you.
You are saving lives, restoring dignity, and strengthening resilience for communities facing war, displacement, and collapsing health care.
Your partnership delivers hope, health, and a chance for a better future.
