Afghanistan (MNN) — Famine fears loom in Afghanistan. Multibillion-dollar aid packages have kept 20 million Afghans alive – roughly half of the population – since the Taliban took over. Now, aid groups are cutting funding.
Plus, “there is limited affordability for people to buy good fuels to heat their homes,” Transform Iran’s Lana Silk says.
“[Afghans are] burning anything they can – plastic, anything – to create some warmth. This is causing air pollution, and we have the risk of disease.”
Hunger and disease aren’t the only concerns. “The threat on their (believers’) lives is ongoing,” Silk says.
“The Taliban are offering money for Afghans to turn in any Christians they know. And Afghans are desperate, further heightening the security risk [to] Christians.”
“There are secret prayer meetings and teaching sessions; people are giving each other encouragement and hope. They are reaching out and evangelizing the lost around them, which is incredibly courageous, considering the implications,” Silk says.