Dalits: The Church’s Call to Action Who are the Dalits? • "For three thousand years, one dominant religion branded more than one fourth of our nation's population as sub-human—nearly three hundred million people known by many as Dalits. Historically, any interaction between this alienated group and the mainstream has been met with harsh penalties, even violence. Separatism has been the accepted norm. It puts our nation in league with South Africa's old apartheid and some of the worst systems of slavery in the world.“ –Dr. Joseph D’Souza, International President of the Dalit Freedom Network • “Are not considered human. They get no education. They are used and abused and have no recourse or avenues toward justice. There is no protection from law enforcement; no access to the courts; no political voice, no hope of upward mobility.” –Matthew Cork, Senior Pastor, Friends Church Yorba Linda • “The caste system is the oldest, largest, existing, most violent, gruesome form of human rights violation in the world today.” Kumar Swamy, Operation Mobilization India South Region Director The Caste System The Priest Class Brahmin Kshatriya The Warrior Class Vaishya The Merchant Class Shudra The Worker Class OBC (Other Backward Classes) All Animals DALITS/UNTOUCHABLES The OBCs and the Dalits are outside of the ancient Indian caste system. Whereas the OBCs are recognized as human, the Dalits are considered sub-human, lower than animals. They are considered “unclean” or in other words, “untouchable.” Dalits: Facts and Statistics • • • • • • • • • Estimated at 300 Million in population 1 Million Dalits are manual scavengers Most trafficked people group in the world today The only “clean” way to touch a Dalit is sexually Dalits are only provided with the most menial of jobs (i.e. Cleaning up areas of defecation, disposing of dead animals, etc.) Extremely minimal opportunities for education No way to “better themselves” in the caste system. 50% of Dalits live on less than $1 day A crime is committed against a Dalit every 18 Minutes. A Model for Hope! Church Church Dalit Village Dalit Village Dalit Education Center Clean Water Development Providing access to clean water Medical Development Teams go in and teach health and hygiene/Provide Care. Spiritual Development DEC Teachers (OM Workers) go into villages & plant churches Dalit Village Church Dalit Village Church Educational Development Introducing the value of Education through a Dalit Education Center Economic Development Teaching them trades and practices to grow capital and eat more! How to get involved Clean Water Development Providing access to clean water Pray/Give (ALL STEPS) • Give to build a DEC! – O.M. India Goal: • 1000 DECs throughout the country of India • 35,000 Churches! (Approx. 350 per DEC!) – Cost: $100k • Sponsor a Dalit Child – $30/Month – • Provides tuition, uniform, administrative costs, books, teachers' salary, and all supplies. Commit to Pray over all steps of the process and for the Dalit people! Medical Development Teams go in and teach health and hygiene/Provide Care. Spiritual Development DEC Teachers (OM Workers) go into villages & plant churches Educational Development Introducing the value of Education through a Dalit Education Center Economic Development Teaching them trades and practices to grow capital and eat more! How to get involved Sending Teams (Spiritual, Medical and Clean Water Development) • Teach Health and Hygiene! – Proper cleanliness and protective measures – Teaching medical basics – HUGE IMPACT in a community that knows extremely minimal information about how sickness is spread • • Full Medical team! VBS camps for kids – Teach Bible stories – Play games • • Share Testimonies Fellowship with Teachers and OM Staff Clean Water Development Providing access to clean water Medical Development Teams go in and teach health and hygiene/Provide Care. Spiritual Development DEC Teachers (OM Workers) go into villages & plant churches Course of Action Current Status: • • • • 107 DECs 3500+ churches Test scores are higher than government schools First students are graduating, going to college and getting jobs Join with us: • Global Freedom (a 501c-3 established from the vision of a local church) has dedicated to building 200 schools. GF is seeking partner churches to join with them in meeting that goal. • Publicize and support the movie Not Today--a powerful story and an eye-opening look at Dalit trafficking—at your church! www.nottodaythemovie.com Come with us to India, see the vision and open your heart to how God will move!