Give the gift of Christmas
Ways to provide help:
Code word: "Water buffalo" or "Business start-up". Many young families who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic, are trying somehow to open up street businesses or stalls, so that they can at least earn some kind of monthly income. |
The water buffalo project in Odisha has been a success so far, because many of those receiving a buffalo have been able to earn a basic income from the sale of milk and yoghurt. This has provided them with a roof over their head and one meal per day for their families. In Odisha we currently have 450 requests from pastors who really need this help! |
The costs for the water buffalo cow, or the start-up capital for the business amounts to 1,000 Euros. This is not a small sum – but it helps to provide for an entire large family at once! |
Code word: "Food packages". After the situation for many needy people, Christians and above all also pastors, has not improved much, the distribution of food packages remains very important. Up until Christmas we want to pack 7,000 such packages at 15 Euros each and in this way enable needy people (including 1,000 pastors) to celebrate Christmas in the Federal States of Odisha, Bihar, Maharashtra und Tamil Nadu. |
Code word: "School fees". For many parents it has become very difficult to pay the school fees for their kids, especially for the good schools. Recently the wife of a pastor rang me from a city 450 km away and told me that her only daughter would have to leave her school, if she did not pay the school fees for the whole year immediately, for approximately 1,200 Euros. This pastor couple run a small church, which normally would be attended by 30 people. However most of their members are labourers, who themselves are suffering greatly from the pandemic and the economic consequences thereof, so they are now hardly able to contribute to the costs of the church. This tough situation is currently affecting many pastors, leaders and Christians throughout the whole of India. |
Code word: "Two sets of clothing". In the time before Christmas and New Year, Indian Christians normally purchase two complete sets of clothing. These are the basic clothing requirements for the coming year. But in this year? Our young ladies from MoseMinistries have also begun asking whether they can even expect to receive new Christmas clothing at all. This question also arises in most families, as these purchases for kids and young people are among the most important in the whole year. But what can a family do, when they are just not in the position to pay out the sum of 50 Euros per child? With this sum, they can buy two sets of clothing – the requirements for the whole year! |
Thank you for your valuable support!
Bank accounts for donations:
Evangelische Bank IBAN DE52520604100006421342
BIC GENODEF1EK1
Hamburger Sparkasse IBAN DE87200505501250131362
BIC HASPDEHHXXX
Bank accounts for donations Austria:
Bank Austria (Owner A. Schmidt) IBAN AT191200023623300000
BIC BKAUATWW
Newsletter from Gideon Jacob
Dear Friends, The situation of one family in particular has touched me very deeply. It is a story which is happening to thousands of people at the moment. The people are helpless, yet we can still provide active help, sometimes with only very simple means. Atihisaya Paul Santhagreen (47) and Esther (38) are long-standing members of our church in Trichy. He says: |
"We both have a daughter (Catherine, 10 years old) and a son (Abraham Daniel, 8 years old). My mother died when I was 15, and when my father died I was only 19 years old. I have four older sisters, who were all already married at that time. Although they all tried to help me, my life was then and still is now a really hard struggle! Catherine is now in the 5th and Abraham Daniel in the 2nd grade. Both are good pupils and we are very pleased about this, as at least we do not have any worries in this area. |
I studied Economics (B.A. Commerce). At first I worked for five years as a manager in software and marketing. Following this, I worked for seven years in the customer care service at Bharat Petroleum. During this time I earned 15,000 INR (ca. 175 Euros), which was enough for our rent of 4,000 INR (47 Euros), for the school fees of the kids and to live well on. I enjoyed working with electronics and also worked part-time in maintaining and repairing electronic scales, which brought me a small monthly extra wage of up to 2,000 INR (23 Euros). |
Due to the pandemic I lost all my work in one blow. We were totally penniless. The church helped us in our time of acute need with foodstuffs, but everything looked gloomy for us. There was no job in sight, no light at the end of the tunnel. Suddenly everything was closed and we had no idea how we were going to survive. We could only pray! Then suddenly we had the idea to open a small shop selling groceries. |
We are so grateful when we are able to help people to become independent and to provide for themselves, without being dependent on food donations. The "Business start-up programme" is a very effective means for people to help themselves, as is the "Water Buffalo Campaign" in Odisha. Thank you for all your valuable support!
Merry Christmas, yours, ever united in the love of Jesus
Gideon Jacob
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Bank details
Account for donations D
Evangelische Bank e.G.
IBAN DE52520604100006421342
BIC GENODEF1EK1
or
HASPA
IBAN DE87200505501250131362
HASPDEHHXXX
Account for donations CH
please use the german Evangelische Bank accout, see above. There will not be extra costs if you send it as SEPA only.
Account for donations A
Bank Austria
Account owner: A. Schmidt
IBAN: AT191200023623300000
BIC: BKAUATWW
BLZ 12000
Konto-Nr. 236 233 00000
Account for MM-Fund (Marriages)
IBAN: DE43520604100206421342
BIC GENODEF1EK1
Mission account international
Evangelische Bank e.G.
IBAN DE96520604100106421342
BIC GENODEF1EK1
