The Dalits

“Oppressed, Broken, Crushed Underfoot”

That is what it is to be a Dalit in India. It is a life of constant rejection, pain and suffering as they are considered “untouchable” by their “higher caste” fellow Indian brothers. The Hindu Caste System, in place for over 3,000 years, has been binding millions of Indians to a life of poverty, persecution, and hardship by keeping them at the bottom of Hindu society. You see, when you are born in India, you are born into a caste system which determines your occupation, your education, your marriage and your rights as an Indian citizen. And no amount of education or perseverance can change it.

In Hinduism there are four main varnas (castes), the Brahmins (the priestly class), the Kshatriyas (the warrior class), the Vaisyas (the merchant/trading class), and the Sudras (the servants). According to Hindu tradition, the Brahmins come from the head of God, the Kshatriyas from the shoulder of God, the Vaisyas from the thigh of God and Sudras from the feet of God. Below the feet of God are the “scheduled castes”, which are so low they are not even officially recognized as part of the caste system. The Dalits, or the “Untouchables” as they are more commonly known, are one of the scheduled castes.

Christians as well fall into the category of a “scheduled caste,” leaving them without rights or dignity as Indian citizens. Almost the entire Christian community in India comes from the Dalit community.

Recently, Anti-conversion Laws have passed in seven states (Gujarat, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa) making it illegal to convert from Hinduism to any for something as treatable as TB. One pregnant woman found out that she needed to have her baby cesarean, but did not have the money. We were informed of her need and were able to provide the funds for a c-section. She wept and cried at the news. If it hadn’t been for an American donor who responded to her need, she and her baby may have died because Indian doctors probably would not have operated on her.

Christians typically work as rickshaw drivers, truck drivers and day laborers who make less than a dollar a day. Dalits also do all jobs considered unclean by Hindus, from cleaning sewers, to curing animal hides and burying the dead.

Oftentimes, they cannot drink water from the same well as an upper-caste Hindu. Particularly in rural areas, Dalits are beaten, raped, and even killed for crimes they never committed. These incidents are rarely noted by the police and their attackers go free.

In the midst of all these overwhelming obstacles, we are encouraging our brothers and sisters in Christ by demonstrating our love for them and unifying with them in the cause of Christ.

To demonstrate our love,

We work alongside several hundred village pastors in India, strengthening them in body and spirit through our love and our financial support.

We help the poorest of the poor in the village churches, in addition to strengthening pastors.

And, we extend our hand in genuine relationship to these pastors through exchanging letters, prayer requests, and encouragement with them. This is immensely strengthening to our brethren.

These are the people who are turning to Jesus Christ because these are the people Jesus Christ came for. He is the One who came to set the captives free, to bring Good News to the poor and bind up the brokenhearted. And when we help our brethren, we are releasing captives, binding up their broken hearts, and bringing them the Good News that their Lord in Heaven cares for them and so do we.

I cannot tell you how much it means to an Indian pastor when he receives a letter and a gift from an American Christian family, a church family, or an individual. Our efforts, our words, and our gifts speak volumes to our brethren who are suffering “behind the gates of hell” in a nation held captive by Hinduism and the caste system which supports it.

If you are not already helping a congregation in India, would you pray about supporting an Indian pastor and his congregation, or Bible Woman (one who shares Jesus Christ with other women) on a regular basis? $100 a month can support a pastor and his entire family as well as a few members of his church who are in need of food, clothing and medicine. And a gift of any size, even a few dollars, is a great encouragement to our brethren. As the Apostle Paul taught us, our gifts for our brethren are “the proof of our love,” and demonstrate “obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ.” And when we help our Indian Christian brethren who are persecuted and impoverished, we are helping our Lord who lives in them.

Many of these dalit people are coming to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. They need our love, our help, and our encouragement.

100 % of your designated gifts are given as instructed.

Court with a Dalit man

Dalits are also called “untouchables” by the Hindu caste system

These precious people are called “rock crushers.” The people work 10 hours a day, 6 days a week for $1.00 a day. This is one of the difficult jobs done by the “dalits” or the “low caste.”

These people are sewer workers who have to physically climb down in the sewers literally under sewer water to clean them out with buckets. This is their “caste” and what the generations after them will be doing unless things change for the low caste dalits of India.