Aiding the Indian Dalits

UNDERSTANDING THE PLIGHT OF THE DALITS
There are four main castes in India.  Beneath the four is a fifth group, the Scheduled Caste. They literally have no caste. They are the untouchables, the Dalits, which means oppressed, downtrodden and exploited.  Dalits are not considered to be part of the human society. They perform the most menial and degrading jobs. They’re seen as polluters of higher caste people. If a higher caste Hindu is touched by an untouchable or even has a Dalit's shadow cross them, they consider themselves to be polluted and have to go through a rigorous series of rituals to be cleansed. In India, 25% of the population is Dalit-approximately 250 million people. The higher classes have more privilege in education, employment and opportunity. Being born a Dalit is a guarantee that they will be less well off. As a result of lack of education, they can’t get a good job.  They can’t improve their situation.

THE DALIT FREEDOM NETWORK
The Dalit Freedom Network is responsible for working to provide resources and hands-on support to see the Dalit people be free from caste bondage and from human rights abuse.  The Dalit Freedom Network formed in 2001 with a vision to end the oppression of the Dalit people by providing education to Dalit children.  Education gives them the freedom to hope, to dream, and to rise above their current circumstances. And, they have the skills that enable them to go to college, get jobs, and break free from the cycle of poverty.

The organization is also committed to freeing woman from several types of modern slavery: sex trafficking, domestic servitude, and bonded labor. The organization works to get women out of potentially dangerous situations into a safe environment with counseling and vocational training so they can be empowered to create a brighter future for themselves and their families.

A MAN WHO WILL HELP
Joseph was raised a Roman Catholic and then became an agnostic. He met Jesus as a university student in India.  It was the teaching that the just shall live by faith that got his attention.  Joseph had a Christian friend who gave him a New Testament and talked to him about the Lord. Eventually the Word changed his heart and his faith became real.

Joseph has heard of the plight of the Scheduled Caste for 25 years.  Joseph had married a woman from this caste.  She would often recount to him what her people faced on a regular basis.  Joseph says when he met his wife, they were both saved and that the Christian faith removes all barriers.  He knew that in Jesus we are all equal and deserving of proper, humane treatment.