Amekidia’s inextinguishable hope

When Amekidia from Tanzania chose to follow the Lord Jesus, the response from her family and community was swift and severe. Despite the suffering she has experienced, she refuses to give up true life found in her Saviour.

For followers of African Tribal Religions (ATR) in Tanzania, community is everything. Breaking even one law amongst the many which are set by the community is believed to be a serious offence, leading to disaster if ancestors and other deities are angered.

Amekidia* is a 20-year-old woman who grew up within these practices, her life governed by her family’s strict adherence to their religion. Stringent laws and fear of the ancestors were simple facts of life, the reality in which she existed – until three years ago.

In 2023, Amekidia discovered the gospel, a radically different way of living, and gave herself to following Christ. She then found a local church and began attending. From that point on, her life was set on a very different course – one of deep joy and fierce persecution.

Cast off

When Amekidia joined her new church, her family viewed it as an act of total betrayal. A choice against ATR is often considered a choice against the community and the family, and almost always bears consequences.

“After I became a Christian, my parents opposed me because of my faith,” she remembers. “They wanted to marry me off, but I refused.”

Forced marriage is often used as a tactic by families to coerce young women and girls into returning to their previous religion. Amekidia’s parents hoped for the same, but their daughter boldly refused and continued at her church. The pressure continued to intensify.

“After I refused, they chased me away from home. When I was forced to leave, I went to live with my uncle, who has been taking care of me ever since.”

Amekidia’s parents had been funding her education, but when they rejected her from their home, the support for her studies was cut off, too. Sadly, the family’s antagonism was only beginning.

On the evening of 15 September 2025, Amekidia was returning home from a nearby shop when she was found and kidnapped by the man chosen to be her husband. Aided by another man, they took her to a neighbouring village where she was held hostage and brutally assaulted.

Standing firm

The next day, an opportunity to escape appeared when she was left unattended. Fleeing, not knowing where to go, she was able to contact her pastor with a borrowed phone who immediately reported what had happened to Amekidia to the police. He also ensured that she received medical treatment. However, though the case was reported to the authorities, her pastor and uncle later were threatened and warned against pursuing the matter further.

Despite all that Amekidia suffered, she did not give up – neither her faith, nor her future. “Later,” she recalls, “I met people who have been supporting me with my education.”

Those people were Open Doors local partners who stepped in to provide assistance with her studies, enabling her to step forward into the future that had been taken from her. Today, Amekidia studies with determination and hope in Jesus.

“I am progressing well. Now I am free, although my family still rejects me,” she shares. “I truly value education, and I am eager to continue my studies. Please keep me in your prayers so that I can achieve my dreams.”

*Name changed for security reasons