DELHI, India, October 13 (PW)—This morning began with worship with the staff from the Church of North India (CNI), in the chapel at their headquarters. We were welcomed by Sudipta Singh, director of programs for CNI, with traditional stoles (
shraddha). Mr. Singh shared the church's work, including its efforts to educate and empower women, its work to educate communities concerning violence against women, and its work to prevent human trafficking and rescue women and children who have been trafficked.
The Church of North India is a combined church including: Disciples of Christ, Church of the Brethren, Methodist Church, Baptist Church, Anglican Church and Presbyterian Church.
After our visit to CNI, we visited St. Thomas School, a private girls' school supported by the diocese of Dehli (CNI). The students greeted us with a program of song and dance. The school's social worker, Madha Kapoor, presented information on the school's expectation for it's students—they are expected to do community service. Students in grades 6-12 visit hospitals, volunteer at the school for the blind, visit nursing homes and work with students in special education classes. The school also offers vocational training for nontraditional students in computer technology, beauty services and jewelry-making.
Principal Anuradha Amos introduced several special needs students who presented the group with beautiful scarves (
dupatta). We had the opportunity to visit with staff and students over a delicious lunch. We were thrilled to be able to present necklaces to the girls—necklaces made by Presbyterian women in our own communities.
This has been our first opportunity to be part of the Dehli community and to share our common purpose for mission as well as justice and peace. It is difficult to hear stories of trafficked sex workers and child slave labor, but it is heartening to know that the church in India is leading efforts to stop all forms of trafficking, and to see for ourselves the future of the church and its young leaders.
We have felt so very welcomed during our time in Dehli and look forward to returning here after visits to communities in east India.
This image is from a CRS (Cathedral Relief Services) project in one of the slums of Kolkata. This sewing project teaches young girls how to hand stitch and use a sewing machine. Many of these girls are daughters of commercial sex workers (the term they use here). There is a brothel right outside the slum. Learning a trade can save the girls from following in their mothers' footsteps. The older women in the slums also participate in this project; women in this sewing project are making tote bags for the 2012 Churchwide Gathering.
This photo shows children of the Bhawanipore Cemetery school in Kolkata. The school is funded by St. Paul's Cathedral, an Episcopal church in the United Church of North India. The children are from a nearby slum, and the school is a one-room brick building located in the cemetery. Children who attend the school are arranged into three classes by age, and each class is given three hours of instruction a day by church volunteers. The children learn math and reading, singing and dancing. They greeted Global Exchange participants with a beautiful rendition of "This Is the Day that the Lord Has Made," sung in both English and Hindi. These children are the poorest of the poor, and the meal they receive at the school might be the only food they get in a day.
