no-longer-a-slumdog

No Longer a Slumdog
knowledge that Jesus loves her, there is no telling where her impact
will end.
As I was writing this chapter, my assistant sent me a link to
a story that appeared in The Telegraph, a daily newspaper published
in Calcutta. The story shocked me to tears.
On January 7, 2011, more than 50 women from a tribal village
in Malda, West Bengal, got together to sell their children at
the market. First I thought it was a misprint. People go to market
to sell vegetables and material things, not to sell their children!
As I read on, however, I learned that their entire village is impoverished.
None of these women were able to care for their children
anymore. The article continued:
Among the women was Malati Hembram who had
lined up with her five-year-old daughter. “I will sell
her off at whatever price I get. The money is not
important; I just want my daughter to be taken in
by a family which will give her food, shelter and
education. We are not being able to sustain ourselves
as well as our children and the elders in the
family,” Malati said. 5
I don’t know if any of these women actually sold their children.
If someone offered these mothers money, I think they
would have done so. Sadly, I read on that it is not an uncommon
sight to see women going from door-to-door trying to find
a buyer for their son or daughter.
I have seen stories of deprivation, misery and hopelessness,
but this one caught me completely unprepared. Immediately, I
called our field leader nearest to this village, a man who was living
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