Social Work Among India’s “Untouchable” Communities

One of the first lesson D.B. Hrudaya learned after coming to Christ was that leading men and women to Christ was not, in itself, enough. The key, he saw, was discipleship. And out of this realization was born Orissa Follow-Up.

OFU was begun in 1986 with eight believers. Since that inauspicious beginning more than 18,000 villagers have confessed Christ as Savior and Lord. Many of these have been Dalits, the outcasts on India. In fact, they were formerly known as untouchables. These people are despised by the classes above them and are most often treated inhumanely. In 2002, D.B. Hrudaya began a program to reach 50,000 Dalits by opening 23 schools that meet in rented or borrowed rooms. He also opened six training centers for adults. The schools are an integral part of reaching the lost Dalits – numbering 160 million, they are 16 percent of India’s population – for Christ. The higher classes, such as the Brahmins, use the illiteracy of the poor Dalits as a tool in continuing their dominance over them.

Orissa is a very Hindu-oriented state where Hrudaya and other Christian workers often meet stiff resistance. It was here in 1999 that Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons were burned alive in their car by a Hindu mob. Like Staines, Hrudaya has great compassion for the poor. This is evidenced by the schools and training centers operated by OFU.

Orissa Follow-Up has seen its share of miracles over the years. One new Christian wanted to attend an OFU prayer meeting in a distant village, and asked her mother if she would loan her 250 rupees to make the trip. Her mother, however, was unable to come up with the needed money. “The whole day I cried unto God,” the girl later reported, “and I found 300 rupees under my pillow that night. I was stunned. I ran to show this to my family and they thanked God with me. . . and at last I got the opportunity to attend the meeting.”

Today, OFU continues to impact lives in India. One hundred churches and twice as many home fellowships have been planted among numerous tribes. OFU also operates a school to train missionary workers. More than 300 workers have been sent out into the field. And OFU’s Bible correspondence courses have been sent to more than 150,000 people.

Please keep Hrudaya and Orissa Follow-Up in your prayers as he and the ministry workers share the life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ with the poor outcasts of Orissa. To support the ministry work of OFU click here.

You can support their efforts today.

Hope for Indian Children

Village Primary Schools

It’s eight in the morning in a small North Indian village. Children at our partner organization’s primary school start the day with a song, their voices mingling as one. After settling into their places they review simple phrases in English and practice their numbers. In this hardworking Mauchi and Gamit community where 70% of the people are illiterate, this school gives everyone reason to hope for better days.

In 2003 our ministry partners established three such schools across India. English Medium Schools as they are called are conducted almost exclusively in English and provide an atmosphere that nurtures children in mind and soul. Today they have 6 schools that go from primary through high school with well over a thousand students.

Compared to the general population, the progress of schooling among tribal children in India up to this point has been poor. Some parents do not see the value of education their children, especially if they did not have the benefit of schooling themselves. With 80% of these tribal groups living below the poverty line, many parents need the income their children can earn by working alongside them in the fields or in factories. Those children who are fortunate enough to attend school may do so under a cloud of discrimination, made to sit in the back of the classroom, taunted by their peers, or even assaulted by higher caste children.

A Key to New Doors

These schools are open to any child regardless of caste. An English language education not only gives children a global perspective but opens the door to opportunities they would otherwise be denied, higher education and better job prospects.
Each school has anywhere from 100 to 300 students. Classes are assisted by native missionaries, members of our partner’s churches, or Bible school students. The schools often make the love of Christ real to a whole community. The missionary couple Biju and Rajni are examples of that. When Biju first went from house to house to promote his plan for a primary school, parents found it hard to believe anyone sincerely cared about the welfare of their children. After much prayer, Biju finally won the adults over and started an English School with around 250 students. Today these children are learning not only how to read, write and prepare for the future, but they are also learning of a God who loves them and wants all of India to know of his son Jesus’ sacrifice for them.