Mission India’s literacy programs bring hope to poor children

New Delhi – To put an end to child labour, US–based Mission India has successfully launched two programs that will enable slum and street children receive value–based education.

According to Mission India's Dave Stravers, children of poor parents are forced into physical labour to pay off the debts of their parents. A form of bonded slavery, these children receive as little as Rs. 10 (or 25 cents) a day as wages for a day’s work.

For these children, the future is grim, with little hope of escaping their circumstances without an education. But “Mission India has two programs that deal with this,” said Stravers. “First of all, we have literacy training, and at the same time, we use Bible–based, Scripture–based materials, so many of them come to know Christ.”

Mission India has also launched the children’s Bible clubs in areas where children cannot attend school.

Children's Bible Clubs are welcomed into communities as a two–week program. Many clubs are held by partners in places where living conditions are nearly hopeless.

While this program is needed, there is one challenge they are facing. “We don't have enough trained teachers or enough materials to reach all those people that are asking us and, we have a waiting list of more than 100,000 children and adults waiting to get into the literacy program,” Stravers explained.

Though the programs are daunting, the results are encouraging and Mission India is currently teaching around 80,000 odd people. “Many of those who go through the programs will be able to read and do arithmetic on the 5th grade level when they finish the program,” he said.