Hungary Helps Launches Entrepreneurship Training for Christian Women in Pakistan

State Secretary Tristan Azbej in Pakistan

Entrepreneurship training for Christian women has been launched in Pakistan under the Hungary Helps program, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Minister of State for Programs for Persecuted Christians said on Thursday on his Facebook page. Tristan Azbej emphasized that the training aims to offer a way out of vulnerability and help participants to stand on their own two feet.

The entrepreneurship training for Christian women provides practical knowledge, confidence, and community support to young women who have often known only exclusion. However, now they have the chance to shape their own future. Help is not just about the past, but also about the future, the State Secretary underlined.

Tristan Azbej said that in parallel with the launch of the program, he had visited Jaranwala, where a Christian community was severely attacked in 2023. Churches were set ablaze, bibles were burned, and families were displaced.

The stories of the survivors were harrowing, but it was also uplifting to see the unwavering faith and strength that lives in these people,”

he added.

“Hungary stands by persecuted communities. We reject all violence that is based on religion. We consider it important that the Pakistani state has officially condemned what happened – the next step must be to guarantee real security,” the politician underlined.

During his visit, the State Secretary also met children who had previously worked in brick factories in inhumane conditions. “Today they learn, play, and dream.

Thanks to the cooperation between the Hungary Helps program and the Caritas Pakistan, nearly a hundred children have escaped modern-day slavery and have been given a new chance for a free and dignified life,”

he emphasized.

 

Azbej added that he made it a priority to meet not only with Christian communities but also with other religious leaders. With the Imam of the Lahore Mosque they spoke about the need for mutual respect, the message of peace between religions, and the possibilities of living together.

Featured photo via Hungary Helps