I’ve been to China and trekked the Great Wall!

I travelled to Beijing and walked, climbed and shuffled along the wall for five days in order to raise money for Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a human rights organisation.

China’s human rights record has traditionally been poor, and in the run up to the Games, despite promising improvements, nothing has changed.

North Korean refugees, who have fled severe treatment by the authorities, do not find solace in China. Instead China sends them back to North Korea to face further, harsher punishment; imprisonment, torture or execution. As a result these people are forced to live in China in secret and in order to do so they must give up all their basic rights to things like medical treatment and the justice system. This of course makes them vulnerable to further abuse.

There are approximately (VERY approximately) 100 million Christians in China, all of whom face persecution of some kind. By ‘persecution’ I mean, harassment, humiliation, fines, church closures, as well as discrimination, imprisonment, torture, and forced labour. Those churches tolerated by the atheist state are controlled by it, through a system of registration. The registered church in China is the Three Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM). Within this Church the government chooses clergy, locations and venues, also controlling finances, relationships with overseas contacts and the production of church publications, like Bibles. It is unsurprising then that millions of Christians choose not to worship in the registered church, and instead choose to meet in unregistered ones, ‘house churches’ or the underground Catholic Church, despite the increased risk of fines, detention, torture and forced labour.

So, I am trekked along the Great Wall of China, for a week, to raise funds for Christian Solidarity Worldwide, an advocacy organisation which is trying to change things for the better in China and in some of the other countries in the world where people are persecuted for their religious beliefs.You can help too! Sponsor me via this site, or visit www.csw.org.uk for more information about the charity.

Thank you for all your support, I really appreciate it.

Katie

PS Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Christian Solidarity Worldwide gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation. Thank you!