<div>Michael Dsouza is a Pakistani Catholic who has suffered tremendous persecution at the hands of extremists in his native country. His story has been told in numerous American publications, including <a href="https://www.newoxfordreview.org/documents/from-a-witness-in-bangkok-to-a-near-martyr-in-karachi/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New Oxford Review</a> and <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2018/03/21/muslim-led-persecution-global-epidemic-hit-friend-michael-week/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Federalist</a> , among others . Michael, a loving and faithful husband and father of three children, has been falsely accused of blasphemy by Muslim extremists, and many violent men in Pakistan want him dead because he has refused to convert to Islam and continues to practice his faith in Christ. In 2012, Michael fled with his family to Thailand, where they lived for five years, hoping to gain refugee status with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). That refugee application was denied because of deliberate errors made by the Muslim translator assigned to the case and Michael and his family spent eight months of 2016-2017 in a Thai detention center. Illness and the fear of death in that place convinced them to return to Pakistan.
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<div>With the help of several international donors, Michael purchased a tuk tuk, or motorized rickshaw, so he could work as a kind of taxi driver and provide for his family as he tried to survive in Pakistan. Just seven months after his return, Michael was ambushed by four Muslim men who recognized him from many years ago. They beat him and burned his tuk tuk. He would likely have been killed if local police had not happened on the scene. Michael was taken to the hospital but the attackers fled and no effort was made to apprehend the perpetrators. The attack was reported in a 2018 article in the <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2018/03/21/muslim-led-persecution-global-epidemic-hit-friend-michael-week/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Federalist</a> . Without the tuk-tuk to support his family, and in fear for his and his family’s physical welfare, he moved from place to place hoping to find somewhere to live in peace and to practice his faith. The Covid-19 epidemic shut down the cities for a time but when it was over and the mandated face masks came off, the threat of being recognized returned. In 2022, the family escaped to Azerbaijan and again applied for refugee status. Once again they were turned down and denied work documents.
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<div>The organization International Christian Voice (ICV) is familiar with the persecution of Christians in Pakistan. Now based in Canada, it was founded by Shabaz Bhatti, a Minister of the Pakistani government, who was gunned down for his work to help Christians and other minorities and stop the abusive use of blasphemy laws. This group is able to present the Dsouza family’s case for immigration to the Canadian government, however, the Canadian government requires that, when applying for immigration, funds sufficient to support the family for one year must be already deposited in a trust account before the application is submitted. The amount per person is specified by the Canadian government. Without the funds, no application can be submitted. Based on family size and ages of the children, Canada requires $67,700 CAD which is equal to $49,421 USD.  We have set that amount as the goal of this drive.
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<div>Contributions will be deposited in an account opened in the USA under our name and social security number (to meet GoFundMe rules for a US social security number) and then transferred in lump sum to a trust account in Canada managed by ICV to be held for the family until their application is approved and they arrive in the country. The funds will be dispersed by ICV to the family on a monthly basis over their first year. ICV is a non-profit, all-volunteer, Sponsorship Agreement Holder organization recognized by the Canadian government.
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<div>This fundraising effort has been created by Christine and Stephen Caveness. As friends of Michael and his family, your help means so much to us as well. We first met the DeSouza family at the local Catholic church in Bangkok, Thailand when they were waiting for a hearing with the UN and we were visiting our daughter and son-in-law. Three years later, we went to visit them in the Immigration Detention Center prison and saw the horrible conditions they were enduring. Michael and his wife, Rosemary, have clung to their faith and not lost hope that one day they will have the opportunity to live in peace with their neighbors, worship the Lord, and be able to work hard to support their family. Thank you for considering a donation, and for your prayers.
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<div>To read more about Michael, find his story contained in the book The Persecuted: True Stories of Courageous Christians Living Their Faith in Muslim Lands by our son-in-law, Casey Chalk. Here <a href="https://sophiainstitute.com/product/the-persecuted/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">at Sophia Institute</a> Press.
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<div>"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:10
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