India, located in Asia, is the second most populated country in the world. With more than 1 billion people, it has great racial, ethnic, and religious diversity. India gained its independence from Great Britain in 1947, and over the years, it has had troubled political relationships with its neighbors Pakistan and China. Agriculture and industry are both very important to India’s economy. A majority of Indians live in villages, but the large cities of Mumbai and Calcutta are continuing to grow. The spread of AIDS has become an issue for both cities. India also has more than half of the world’s cases of leprosy. There is religious freedom in India; however, most Indians are Hindu, and Christians, Muslims, and other religious minorities have suffered persecution.

The Children of Promise program in India began in 1992 ministering to children and their families in Kalahandi and Cuttack, including The Shelter Girls’ Home, in Odisha State.  In 2010, the program expanded to serve the community of Siliguri in West Bengal, near the Tea Gardens area. The families living in the Tea Gardens are in the “untouchables” caste, which places them at the bottom of the societal ladder. They live in difficult conditions with little opportunity to improve their economic situation or social standing. India’s Children of Promise Directors Samarpita Sahu and Sanjukta Murmu work with other local leaders, volunteers, and the Church of God congregations in India to help sponsored children receive food, education, and health care. They also make sure the children are discipled and experience the love of Jesus in the community of the church.

Your sponsorship helps bring nutrition, education, health care, discipleship, and wholeness to a child in India.