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

Brahmin

Kshatriya

Vaishya

Shudra

OBC (Other Backward Classes)

DALITS/UNTOUCHABLES

The Priest Class

The Warrior Class

The Merchant Class

The Worker Class

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.”

All Animals

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.

Dalit Education Center

A Model for Hope!

Dalit Village

Dalit Village

Dalit Village

Dalit Village

Economic DevelopmentTeaching them trades and practices to grow capital and

eat more!

Educational DevelopmentIntroducing the value of Education through a Dalit

Education Center

Church

Church

Church

Church

Spiritual DevelopmentDEC Teachers (OM Workers) go into villages &

plant churches

Medical DevelopmentTeams go in and teach health and hygiene/Provide

Care.

Clean Water Development

Providing access to clean water

How to get involved

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!

Economic DevelopmentTeaching them trades and practices to grow capital and

eat more!

Educational DevelopmentIntroducing the value of Education through a Dalit

Education Center

Spiritual DevelopmentDEC Teachers (OM Workers) go into villages &

plant churches

Medical DevelopmentTeams go in and teach health and

hygiene/Provide Care.

Clean Water Development

Providing access to clean water

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

Spiritual DevelopmentDEC Teachers (OM Workers) go into villages &

plant churches

Medical DevelopmentTeams go in and teach health and

hygiene/Provide Care.

Clean Water Development

Providing access to clean water

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 Come with us to India, see the vision and open your heart to how vision and open your heart to how

God will move!God will move!