Empowerment of Excluded Castes in Punjab and West Bengal (India)
Religious and caste discrimination is one of the leading causes of poverty and social exclusion in India. This has prevented access to basic services, including education, livelihood, health facilities and other government services and schemes for large sections of society.
We support the local churches in India to provide services such as study centres for children from vulnerable backgrounds; life skills education for adolescents (especially girls); women’s economic empowerment through their involvement in self-help groups; awareness raising activities on environmental concerns through tree plantation campaigns, installation of submersible pumps in West Bengal (to improve irrigation and farming practices), and waste reduction drives; and through these activities to empower marginalised communities, enabling them to be organised, resilient, educated and healthy, involved in local governance and capable of accessing government services and schemes.
Our projects in India now have an increased focus on cross-cutting issues including gender equality, disability and social inclusion, to ensure the work is effective in reaching socially disadvantaged groups, preventing unintended harm, exclusion and further marginalisation, and by promoting rights, equitable opportunities and benefits for all community members.
The projects operate in the rural communities and urban slums of West Bengal and in rural communities in Amritsar near the Pakistani border areas.
You can help!
This project is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP). Thanks to ANCP, we’re making a huge difference together; lifting families out of poverty and helping people improve their lives.
India
Church of North India – Diocese of Amritsar and Diocese of Durgapur
Poverty Alleviation
News from the field
- Thank you for helping create justice for generations!
In the final months of the financial year, we told the story of Laboni, who grew up in a tribal village in remote West Bengal, India. It’s a place where education is out of reach for many because families are too poor to invest in it. Children grow up to help in the household or in the fields as soon as they are able; girls are married off young. Our church partner, the Church of North India – Diocese of Durgapur, supported ... - Creating justice for generations: Sophia’s story
Sophia Lakra discovered a passion to help others early in life. Growing up among the poor in West Bengal, she saw the incredible potential of young people as well as the barriers preventing so many from realising their dreams. Children became either trapped in a cycle of poverty, or they found a way to escape. The difference, as Sophia saw it, was education. She wanted to help keep disadvantaged children in school. So she studied hard and at age 21, Sophia became a teacher. “I ... - Three women leaders we’re celebrating this International Women’s Day
Happy International Women’s Day! The theme this year is a great one: Invest in women: Accelerate progress! Women’s empowerment and education in places where they are excluded or marginalised has long been a pillar of global development, but lesser known are the climate benefits. Women make up a large proportion of the agricultural sector and produce up to 80% of the food in developing countries. When climate disasters hit, women and girls bear a disproportionate burden of the impacts and they’re typically ... - What does it take to lift a village out of poverty?
Imagine living in a rural village of about 250 people. It’s been your home since birth, and each day follows the simple but tough life of subsistence farming. Access to health services, education, and employment opportunities is severely limited, so, like everyone here, you make a living off the land and strive to give your children the opportunities that you didn’t have. But for four to five months of every year, the dry season and erratic rainfall make it impossible to ... - Update from India, UnitingWorld Update 1-2023
“I want to become a basketball champion when I grow up!” said Lakshmi* when asked about her aspirations for future. Like Lakshmi, many adolescent girls living in the Durgapur slum community want to pursue careers that defy gender norms and stereotypes. She attends a study centre that is part of the Community Development Program run by our partner, the Diocese of Durgapur. The study centre provides the girls with a safe space to learn, connect, practice extracurricular activities, and share their ...