After over 50 years laboring in a brick kiln, Bashir is now enjoying a life in freedom with his family after CSI repaid his debts.
The Masih family with CSI’s project partner following their release. csi
Bashir Masih began working in brick kilns when he was just 10 years old. Now, aged 68, he and his family are finally free and self-reliant, after Christian Solidarity International (CSI) paid off their debts and provided them with the means to earn a living.
Along with his wife, Saima Bibi (63), and four of their seven children Mubarak (23), Alisha (21), Lubna (19) and Samsoon (15), Bashir was tied to a brick kiln in Punjab through a debt system known locally as peshi.
The family’s four younger children spent their childhood and youth working at the brick kiln, meaning they did not receive a full education. Mubarak is unable to read or write.
When he was a young man, and before he was married, Bashir broke his right leg when a cart overturned, burying his leg under bricks. Decades of physically demanding work without adequate medical care made the injury even worse. Today, he suffers from chronic pain and advanced arthritis.
His wife, Saima, has a poorly healed arm fracture and additionally suffers from severe diabetes and high blood pressure.
Their son Mubarak also suffered fractures in his right leg caused by workplace accidents. Without proper treatment, the bones are not aligned, which caused him severe pain at work.
With Bashir, Saima and Mubarak severely limited by their health conditions, Alisha, Lubna and their brother Samsoon, who is still a minor, shouldered much of the daily workload at the brick kiln.
The medical treatment required by Bashir, Saima and Mubarak following their injuries, coupled with the need to buy food during the monsoon season, when brick production stops, drove the Masihs into debt. The family had little prospect of repaying the amount they owed by themselves.
The turning point for the family came in September 2026 when CSI paid off their debt, freeing them from bondage at the brick kiln. For the elderly Bashir Masih, this intervention was the answer to a lifetime of prayers.
“God has heard the cry of a broken old man and released our chains,” Bashir declared. “I am no longer a slave; I am a free man, and I will draw my last breath in dignity. We give our infinite thanks to CSI for giving us our lives back.”
To ensure the family’s long-term financial stability, CSI provided them with a commercial heavy-duty loader rickshaw, empowering Mubarak Masih to operate an independent transport and delivery service.
Additionally, CSI gifted the Masihs a new sewing machine. This was essential as daughters Alisha and Lubna will soon receive specialized skill-based training in tailoring.
The youngest child, Samson, will receive a professional skill-based education, breaking the cycle of generational illiteracy.
With their financial burdens lifted, Bashir and Saima will start comprehensive medical treatment soon.
Bashir will begin targeted orthopedic treatments and advanced arthritis management for his fractured leg, while Saima will receive medication for her severe diabetes and hypertension, alongside physical therapy for her arm.
Free from the endless cycle of forced labor, the family finally have hope for their future.
“Poverty stole my education and left my body broken, but today I am a proud provider for my parents and a free man,” said Mubarak, holding aloft the keys to the loader rickshaw.
“We will never cease to thank the hands that reached down into the dark mud of the kiln to lift us up into this beautiful new light.”
