Delhi - Day Two

I have talked with people who really resist sponsoring a child from India. After all, we have shifted jobs away from the US and sent them to India. We hear about India’s new prosperity. Yet, for those who observe India, that prosperity has hit a relatively small percentage of the population. Most Americans saw the level of that poverty in the movie “Slum Dog Millionaire.” Over 750 million people in India live in poverty.

We experienced the slums of the Delhi area again today. In the first half of our day, we visited Life Centre Academy. This school has taken kids from extremely difficult positions and is working to give these children a break. They are helping with special needs children, as well as older children that have never had the opportunity for an education.

We met Christina, a 12 year old girl sitting in a classroom with much younger children. Christina lives with her sister’s family. They have a couple smaller children and her sister’s husband would often talk about getting rid of her. She started in school a short time ago, but in her second year, the family would not buy books, so Christina stopped coming. A few weeks later, she came to the principal in tears, greatly desiring to come back to school. The school has welcomed her back and is providing books and a uniform. We can only pray that she can continue and that the family will not force her to work to bring in money.

From there we went to another part of the city where the project reaches out to slum kids in a major way. We walked through some of the worst conditions I have seen, and visited the kids in the slum where they live. As you are assaulted by the smells and the stench of the area, you wonder how it is that we could allow people to live in such conditions. Bags of garbage piled high, and people sorting through it to get any recyclables. This reminded me of the garbage city in Cairo where we also have a project. We were invited in to one child’s home. A small room with a bed is the extent of the home. The home is a shanty comprised of tin, wood and canvas. It looks like a strong wind would blow it over.

The world’s attention is being drawn to this kind of poverty in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. Do you throw up your hands in exasperation and admit that the problem is just too big? I hope not. I hope each of us will do what we can to help – whether it is in Africa, Haiti, or India. That’s why I love what we do at Mission of Mercy. We give hope to children, one at a time. And I stand in awe at the quality of the partners we work with. They truly have a passion for children, and are providing great opportunities with very little resources.

I am still processing what I saw today, but I am deeply moved and challenged by the work that my brothers and sisters in the Lord are doing here in Delhi.