A majority of India’s children remain vulnerable and exposed to gross violation of the rights of their protection. These violations manifest themselves in many ways, including child trafficking, child labor, commercial sexual exploitation and abuse. Though abject poverty is one of the main causes triggering such tragedy, there are several other factors that contribute to this. Unicef list them: discrimination, social exclusion, lack of quality education, the perceptions and attitudes of parents towards child labor and the role and value of education. The list could go on. One of the serious problems in India relating to children, is trafficking. It is always children who belong to distressed communities that face various disadvantages and the socially excluded castes and tribals that bear the brunt of all this. It is estimated that simple preventable infections take a toll of over two million Indian children every single year. A third of the world’s malnourished children live in India. Development and the capacity of these children to acquire learning skills are stunted. The limited intake of food is not the only cause for this. The lack of access to health services, poor quality of care of children and mothers and poor hygiene are also attributed. There’s more . . . 20 percent of children between ages 6 to 14 are not in school. Child labor in certain areas of the country and resistance of parents to send girls to school remain a real concern.

I share all this to help you catch a glimpse of the magnitude of the task we face and also the fact that IGL’s children’s ministry addresses many of these pressing issues that affect the lives of millions in this nation. Our outreach to children is holistic. We share the vision expressed by UNICEF – “to ensure that every child has the best possible start to life – a safe birth, sound new-born care and good nutrition” but it doesn’t stop there. Our vision goes further . . . good opportunities for education, skills development a good future and the most important of all eternal life through a personal encounter with Jesus.

Our work starts in the villages where pregnant mothers are cared for and babies monitored from child birth. Then they attend our day care centers. IGL’s twenty plus children’s homes, Christian schools and scores of tutoring centers in the villages provide the best of education and care to thousands of these little ones. Our commitment is not just providing care for needy children of India but addressing serious economic and social issues that haunt them day after day. Our goal is to prevent these risks and protect children who face them.

We are committed to raising strong Christian leaders who can in turn make a difference in this nation. I invite you to join us in this God-sized vision. It is not beyond our reach. Together, with God’s help we can make it a reality.

Gratefully,

Sam Stephens
President
India Gospel League