Results 2021

What results are created when you invest in the work of the Danish European Mission?

Afghanistan

Free medical care for the poor

  • Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world, where Christians face severe persecution. Since the Taliban took power, persecution and famine have increased. The Danish European Mission's donors ensure that poor people can receive medical care. In 2021, 11,048 patients received treatment. Poor Afghans can receive treatment for ear, nose and throat diseases, malaria, dental problems, burns and vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

House church and football service

  • Due to the Taliban takeover in 2021, the Danish European Mission expanded its work for Afghan refugees. In 2021, the Danish European Mission established a collaboration with an Afghan couple living in a neighboring country to Afghanistan. After fleeing Afghanistan themselves, the couple started a house church for Afghan refugees, and the husband also runs a soccer ministry where Afghan refugee children play football. This ministry allows him and his team to encourage Afghan children and youth and share their Christian faith. The financial support began in 2022.

Europe

  • Danish European Mission supported the translation of the book Friendship First into Danish. The book as well as the leader's manual and videos equip Danish Christians to share their faith with Muslims in Denmark.
  • Some theological issues were clarified in the Danish translation.
  • Before the collapse of communism, the Danish European Mission helped the church in Eastern Europe, where it was oppressed. In the 1990s, the focus shifted to the Muslim world, where Christians risk discrimination, harassment or persecution. But at the same time, many Muslims seek answers in Christianity and come to faith in Jesus.
  • But Danish European Mission has not forgotten Europe and in 2021 we supported a church in Moldova, Europe's poorest country, to distribute emergency aid in collaboration with Emergency Aid Center Gatten.

Secret projects

For security reasons, we cannot mention in which countries these secret projects take place or describe in detail the nature of the work.

Supporting the health of poor and persecuted Christians

  • In one of the world's most closed countries, our project partner has distributed medicine to 228 very poor Christians. For example, one little boy received medicine for his diabetes. In addition, 13 have received help with hospitalization.

Future and hope for vulnerable women

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  • Women who have been victims of domestic violence, prostitutes or sold into sex slavery have received support in 2021. This has been done through a shelter and job training center run by local Christians. Here, women can receive counseling, job training, and medical and legal assistance if needed.
  • During 2021, the shelter has hosted 26 women, 8 teenagers and 36 children for periods between 3 and 6 months. In addition, the work has expanded with one more shelter. The building was purchased and renovated with support from Danish European Mission donors.
  • The job training center has taught 322 women how to sew, make jewelry, cook for cafes and in catering businesses, for example, so they can earn money in a positive way in the future.
  • 142 women and 21 men received counseling, 71 women and children received legal support and 33 women and children received medical care.
  • In Central Asia, men and women do not have equal opportunities in society in practice. 450 men and local leaders have received training on women's rights. 70 seminars have been conducted in 2021.
  • If the employees sense that some of the vulnerable women are spiritually searching, they are offered prayer. In the local culture, prayer is completely normal. But the staff pray to the God of the Bible, and during intercessory prayer, many vulnerable women feel the Holy Spirit working in them.
  • Some come to faith in Jesus. God's love, which he showed by letting Jesus die and sacrifice himself for us, transforms them. And this healing love heals trauma and wounds. Thus, women are transformed one by one in a culture where women, especially in rural areas, are oppressed.

Courses and pastoral care for inmates

  • In 2021, donors to the Danish European Mission have supported around 2,400 women, men and teenagers in prison in a country in Central Asia to receive psychological support. The help is provided by local Christians. In addition, the inmates receive life skills training to help them integrate into society when they are released. It touches the prisoners deeply when they hear the Christians talk about their faith. It brings hope and light into their otherwise dark situation. When they are released, many want to meet again, and several women have subsequently started attending church.

Church planting on the border with Afghanistan

  • Danish European Mission donors have supported an evangelization project in a neighboring country to Afghanistan. Here, local Christians are reaching out to unreached people groups with the good news of Jesus Christ. In 16 months, the evangelistic team has visited 300 families and has already seen 25 people come to faith in Jesus. 3 house churches have been established and 7 more are on the way. The group aims to plant even more house churches.
  • In the summer of 2021, a summer camp took place in a country in Central Asia. The camp was filled with children from different backgrounds. Besides fun and games, the children also learned about who Jesus is.

Bible translation for unreached people groups

  • In 2021, Danish European Mission's donors have supported the translation of the Bible into a language spoken by a large, unreached people group in Central Asia. The Bible text is not only published in physical form, but also in an app and as an audiobook.

Theological education

  • The pastors of a young church in a predominantly Muslim country are receiving theological training. The vast majority are first-generation Christians and need to be grounded in the message of the Bible so that they can provide sound teaching and exercise healthy leadership. 34 people received diploma-level training in theology in 2021. Students are also taught leadership, ethics, pastoral care and economics, among other things.

Legal and advocacy services

  • In Central Asia, there are regular examples of Christians and churches being unfairly accused by the authorities. In 2021, donors to the Danish European Mission ensured that a church could get legal assistance when it was falsely accused.

Help with starting a business

  • A Christian rehabilitation center in Central Asia has received help to start a cold forging business. Vulnerable men, including former addicts, can generate an income through the business.

Cancer treatment for key leaders

  • A key church leader in Central Asia was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Danish European Mission donors helped him receive the highest quality treatment outside his home country.

Translation of theological textbook

  • For the first time in world history, no less, a predominantly Muslim community can now receive theological education in their native language. Donors to the Danish European Mission ensured that a basic theological textbook could be translated into the community's mother tongue.

Bags of hope

  • A church in a predominantly Muslim area in a Central Asian country received funding to distribute 350 Christmas bags to poor children in a Central Asian country.
  • In addition to Christmas aid, 720 people received monthly bags of hope, which are bags of food.
  • This church was also given a motorcycle with a trailer so that it can easily drive out to poor villages with bags of food. Through food distribution, churches build relationships with people they would not otherwise have come into contact with.
  • In 2021, 1140 bags of hope were distributed to vulnerable families in another country in Central Asia. The bags contain food. The distribution takes place weekly and helps bridge the gap between the church and the residents of a vulnerable neighborhood.

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India

Emergency aid and self-help

  • While some Indians are experiencing economic prosperity, unexpected natural disasters and livestock diseases mean that other Indians, especially in rural areas, are losing their income and living in poverty. Danish European Mission donors support a team of local Christians who are empowering Indians in a village to sustain their livelihoods. For example, training on how to vaccinate their cattle and how to prepare for extreme weather.
  • Needy Indians have received support for farming, two shepherds and a stable for the animals. This gives them the means to help themselves.
  • 30 disadvantaged women have been given a six-month sewing course. The aim is to enable the women to earn money for their household and sew clothes for themselves and their families. After completing the sewing course, the project helps the women get orders. The project is led by local Christians who have ample opportunity to share their Christian faith with the participants.

Iraq

In 2021, donors ensured that 10,704 people received help.

  • The aid consisted of emergency aid for persecuted Christians and people from other minority backgrounds displaced by Islamic State. Recipients received food, water, hygiene items, medicine and cooking utensils.
  • Finally, women and children received trauma treatment. The target group was 262 women who had been Islamic State sex slaves, war widows or simply very poor. At a job training center run by convert Christians, they were able to find a community of like-minded people, receive pastoral care and job training. For some, meeting local Christian converts led them to seek answers in the Christian faith.

Iran

  • During 2021, Christian prisoners of conscience in Iran received practical help from Danish European Mission donors.
    • Two Christian prisoners of conscience received medical attention.
    • Twelve prisoners were fed while in prison.
    • Financial support was given to married couples where the husband had been imprisoned for his faith but had no income after his release.
  • Iran's underground church is growing and the demand for God's word continues. Danish European Mission donors ensured that 29,908 copies of the New Testament were smuggled into Iran and neighboring countries where Iranians live.

Kyrgyzstan

  • Seven girls have been placed at Egehuset, a home for former orphans who have no family to stay with when they can no longer live in state-run orphanages.
  • At Egehuset, local Christians care for them and encourage the seven girls to complete secondary education, as well as socially equipping them to function in society. Several of the girls have experienced coming to faith in Jesus through their participation in the project.

Mauritania

  • A Christian convert from the predominantly Muslim country, where there are almost no Christians, has received funding to study theology in 2021. The plan is for him to go back and make a positive difference for the Kingdom of God in his home country after graduation.

Nigeria

  • Christians in northern Nigeria, where persecution can be fierce, have requested Bibles. The reason is that many are coming to faith in Jesus and there is a need for Bibles for the new believers. One local church has received 1300 Bibles and 800 hymnals. The message is that the books are a source of great joy. The project is carried out in collaboration with Kontagora and Mission Africa.

North Korea

  • Despite the pandemic and lockdown, 1,038 packages of vegetable seeds have been distributed to needy North Koreans in 2021.
  • 21 refugees from North Korea have been helped from China to a safe Asian country where they do not risk being sent back to prison as punishment for escaping.
  • Thousands of North Korean Christians have been given medicine. The medicines were smuggled across the border and are for dysentery, diarrhea, tuberculosis, influenza and other infectious diseases, arthritis and colds. Dietary supplements have also been distributed.

Sri Lanka

Distribution of Bibles

  • 2,195 economically challenged Sri Lankan Christians and their families have received Bibles. As the country was hit hard by the pandemic, the Bibles have been especially important as church services could not be held. For some Bible recipients, it has been their only spiritual source for an entire year.

Help during covid-19

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  • Danish European Mission donors ensured that 2,371 Christian and non-Christian families received COVID-19 relief kits in 2021. The aid has reached over 11,000 people in total. The harsh lockdowns have left people in financial distress, so the need for emergency aid has been high.
  • 73 pastors and church workers received self-help assistance to generate their own income. During the pandemic, self-help has been crucial as many church members have lost their jobs and can no longer contribute to the pastor's salary. The help can consist of a cow whose milk they can sell, chickens whose eggs can be sold, goats that can be bred and whose milk can be sold, chickens whose eggs can be sold or help to open a small shop. Among other things, the recipients have been able to use their profits to benefit their churches.

Lawyer help

  • In 2021, donors to the Danish European Mission supported eight persecuted Christians to receive legal representation in a variety of court cases where they were wrongfully accused or discriminated against by authorities.

Holistic church planting training

  • Training materials were developed and 90 participants from 30 churches were trained in holistic church planting. The churches are located in rural areas where persecution is taking place. The church planters are taught how preaching the gospel can go hand in hand with, for example, poverty alleviation in their communities. The goal of the project is to plant ten new churches that bring transformation to Sri Lanka, both spiritually and physically.

Syria

In 2021, donors ensured that 22,314 people received help.

  • The aid consisted of emergency aid for persecuted Christians and people from other minority backgrounds displaced by Islamic State. Recipients received food, hygiene items, water, medicine and cooking utensils.
  • Many Muslims and people from non-Christian minorities ask questions when Christians help not only Christians but also non-Christians. Some are touched by the care and love Christians show and become curious about Jesus.
  • Christians were also able to attend school. Due to the civil war that began in 2011, the school system in Syria has partially collapsed. This is causing many Christian parents to consider fleeing to the West to give their children a better future. However, an exodus of Christians is not good for the local churches or the country as a whole, as Christians contribute positively to society. By supporting schooling for Syrian Christians, Christian parents can have a reason to stay in Syria despite the war and make a positive difference.

Turkey

Media Mission

  • Danish European Mission donors supported Alef FM's work to evangelize via radio in southeastern Turkey. The radio channel could reach around 300-400 thousand potential listeners in 2021. On social media, 39,137 have met Alef FM's message. In the future, our project partner will focus even more on social media, as this platform allows you to get feedback from the recipient. In addition, 96 new programs with the Christian message have been produced.

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Church planting and church leadership training

  • The number of Christians in Turkey is very low, so new churches are needed to reach out to the Turkish population. After 78 missionaries and their families were expelled from the country in 2019-2021, the Turkish church needs to stand on its own two feet more than before, when it was highly dependent on the West. Danish European Mission donors have helped Christians receive training in church leadership and church planting. Six people have received Bible teaching for a period of 6 months and one person has been trained and deployed to strengthen house churches and plant new ones.
  • During the cold winter, a group of Afghan and Iranian Christians have distributed blankets and firewood to 20 poor families in eastern Turkey. The group tries to reach out through diakonia, but also through Bible studies where Afghan and Iranian refugees are invited.

Yemen

  • In 2021, donors ensured that 4,752 people received food parcels.
  • The brutal war has sent 80% of the population into famine and innocent children and adults are losing their lives as a result of the war. The UN has estimated that Yemen is experiencing the world's worst humanitarian crisis ever.
  • 43 houses with 350 people have received a steady source of water from a rainwater collector through the support of Danish European Mission donors.