Empowering Urban Slum Dwellers
The Bible Society of India work across six major cities with this project. The project seeks to empower individuals with God's Word in order that they have their human dignity restored.
Many slum dwellers are migrants from border areas of India or from rural areas. They come to the cities for jobs or education or to make a better life for them and their families. Many end up in the rag picking community who sift through other peoples rubbish to pick out anything that can be recycled or sold to earn some money. This is a very difficult and inhuman existence, dealing with everything that others don't want.
The Bible Society is bringing the Word of God into this context by bringing groups together to read the Bible and to pray with each other. Groups of 5 or 6 people meet every day to read the Bible aloud and then discuss the passage and how it speaks to them. This creates a network of small groups of Christians throughout the slum environment.
The groups also make people aware of other government resources that they could access as well as informing people on nurturing their own health and well-being. In all of the activities the Bible is centrally important.
The slum dwellers are encouraged and empowered with vocational skills training alongside the Bible engagement sessions. Men and women are taught sewing, tailoring and beautician skills which they can then use to improve their income and future opportunities. My colleague in the Bible Society of India said 'I feel strongly that these kind of practical life skills training along with Bible engagement will change a person's life from one of rag collecting to a normal basic human life'. This holistic approach is changing lives.
We have heard wonderful stories of individuals encountering other Christians in the slums through this project and the positive impact this has had. Individuals no longer feel alone as they have a small group of other believers to meet with and to share their problems with every day. When individuals are given a Bible this becomes a very treasured possession which brings words of hope and encouragement and helps them to live life in all its fullness.
