no-longer-a-slumdog

winds of change
Gospel for Asia was eager to reach out to the Dalits during
this time of enormous transition. The greatest need among these
poorest peoples of southern Asia, their leaders declared, was for
their children to become educated. Simply knowing how to read
would go a long way to protect them from being cheated in written
contracts. It would open doors to better jobs with higher pay.
This would allow them to finally get out of debt, which would
end the cycle of bonded labor.
Unfortunately, the reality is not so simple. Centuries of oppression,
nationwide poverty and the constant teachings of inequality
are not so easy to overcome. We understood that a good
education alone would not be enough to bring immediate economic
and emotional healing. As I mentioned in my first book,
“The only weapon that will ever effectively win the war against
disease, hunger, injustice and poverty in Asia is the Gospel of Jesus
Christ.” 2
They need education, and they need the truth. And when
they know the truth, they shall be set free (see John 8:32).
Massive Obstacles
India’s National Policy in Education, written in 1986, aims at
making free primary education available to all children, including
Dalits. For many reasons, however, they rarely attend school.
The main problem is poverty. Many of these families simply cannot
survive without the income their children make. If they were
to go to school during the day, there would be no food for them
to come home to. Bonded-labor contracts effectively kill any
chance for education. Also, government schools are often too far
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