No Longer a Slumdog

The name of the book caught my attention, and it was offered for free, so I ordered it. I expected heart warming stories of children whose lives have been transformed through the work of caring people, but what I did not expect was the astonishing revelation into the caste system and how it affects 700 million people in India. Despite being outlawed, it is difficult for the people to separate themselves from what their religion teaches about human value and their destiny regarding their position of hierarchy.

Today 50 million Dalit children, being born into the lowest rung on the ladder, still have a good chance of being sold into bonded labor or prostitution, working for pennies to pay off family debt that never gets paid off. This process repeats a life with no hope of ever changing, as parents grasp to the help their children can give them, simply to stay alive, with no chance of an education or basic human rights. The sad thing is that Dalits believe it is their birthright to suffer prejudice, abuse and mistreatment to pay off their sins from a past life.

The facts laid out, along with the stories of desperate parents selling their children, would pretty well make this the saddest book you could read, were it not for what the title of the book says about offering hope, one child, one family, at a time. In 2001 Gospel for Asia was founded, opening Bridge of Hope Centers where children get rescued from the streets and receive an education, a good meal, medical attention and hope in Jesus, with whom there is no distinction between Brahmin and Dalit. Children who are enrolled in a center, become a life link to their families, who are also changed when they see them practice what they are learning, things such as honesty, kindness and respect.

My H and I have both read the book now and have been impressed with the work started by J P Yohannan, a man who, despite the overwhelming numbers, has lived out the challenge he now passes on, namely to "not let what we can't do, stop us from doing what we can do." The stories of changed lives speak for themselves and I cannot help but share this.