U.S. Vice President Mike Pence says the State Department will no longer fund “ineffective” U.N. relief efforts for persecuted and religious minorities in the Middle East, and instead pay for them directly through the U.S. Agency for International Development, Voice of America reports.

“Christianity is under unprecedented assault in those ancient lands where it first grew,” the vice president said. “Across the wider Middle East, we can now see a future in many areas without a Christian faith. But tonight, I came to tell you: Help is on the way.”

“We will no longer rely on the United Nations alone to assist persecuted Christians and minorities in the wake of genocide and the atrocities of terrorist groups. The United States will work hand-in-hand from this day forward with faith-based groups and private organizations to help those who are persecuted for their faith,”  Pence stated.

Watch our reportage from Raqqa, on the frontline with Christian soldiers fighting DAESH