Christian Response to Displaced People

Pushpa Waghmare

• Poverty• Exploitation• Injustice to the marginalized• Malnutrition• Illiteracy• Child abuse• Prostitution• Alcoholism• Unemployment

• 60% of the Indian population still struggle to survive

• 50 million people are still below poverty line in India alone

There needs to be a greater sensitivity in understanding the plight of our brethren who have equal rights

With over 50 years of independence, we have barely been able to address the burning issues:

Poor Environment Related Deaths

• Each year 500,000 women die during pregnancy related causes

• 99% are in the third world countries, of which India is one, and our city is a part as well

• 99% are in the third world countries, of which India is one, and our city is a part as well

• Among poorer households, a child born today is 40 to 50 times more likely to die before the age of five years as compared to a well to do household

• Infants in our country are several hundred times more likely to die of diarrhea, pneumonia and measles than those in the west

• One in seven receives vaccination against Diphtheria Tetanus, whooping cough, Polio and measles

Number of Homeless People

• European Union: 3000000

• England : 98750

• Canada : 150000

• Australia : 99000

• U.S : 150000-200000

• Japan : 20000-100000

• India : 1850000

Homeless People in India

• Delhi : 140000

• Mumbai: 300000

• Kolkata : 75000

• Chennai: 40533

Present State of Nagpur• According to “German Technical Cooperation”

and the “Nagpur Municipal Corporation”, approximately 500 and above notified slums in Nagpur

• Besides these there are more than three hundred slums which may not be on records anywhere

• The people living in each slum varies from 1000 to 5000 and above

• These people don’t have proper documents to avail Govt. facilities

Poverty

Confidence

Self esteem

Employment

Awareness

Shelter

Clothing

Food

Beggars

Rag pickers

Slum dwellers

Street children

Yes

No

Learn to Love

Capacity Building

Health

Education Housing Security

Identity

Status

Crime

Prostitution

Alcoholism

Illiteracy

“To loose the chains of injustice, to untie chords of the yoke, to share your food with the hungry, and to provide the poor wanderer shelter, to clothe the naked, then your light will break forth with the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear, then your righteousness’ will go before you and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call and the Lord will answer, you will cry for help and He will say ‘here am I.’ (Isaiah 58 : 3-10 )

Govt. Schemes and Implementation

Schemes are good for peoples benefit, but Implementation is failed due to lack of the following:

• Personnel• Timely actions• Vision • Corruption• Proper documents• Mediators

How to Implement Effectively

Failures in Implementation

To accomplish this task we need honest, people oriented organization and it should have the following:

• Confidence building between Govt. & NGOs

• Confidence building between NGOs & people

• Educating NGOs with Govt. schemes and plans

• NGOs focus should be on the benefit of people than self

Our Basis• For lack of guidance a nation falls, but

many counselors make victory sure. (Proverbs 11 :14)

• Defend the cause of the weak, maintain the rights of the poor, deliver them from the hands of the wicked. (Psalm 82:3,4)

• Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble. (James 1:27)

Training Programme

Educating Homeless Children

Advocacy (Standing in the gap)

The agenda report of a Conference of Ministers of Housing, from the States and Union Territories, organized by the Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation, states: "It is the ultimate goal of the National Policy on Housing and Habitat, 1998, to provide the basic need of shelter for all, but until such objective is achieved, it is necessary to provide some kind of shelter to the absolutely shelterless urban poor."

According to the government, the scheme was supposed to progress as per demand. This means that the States would put forward proposals, which would then be sanctioned by Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd. (HUDCO). By July 2004, HUDCO had sanctioned 99 night shelters across India. Of these, 40 were in Maharashtra.

The National Slum Development Programme sanctioned Rs.14,053 lakhs to Delhi between 2000-04. The entire amount has been listed as `unspent balance'.

Our role Politicians

Doctors

Govt. officials

Talented

Communicate and help implement feasible legislative, policy and administrative reforms

Facilitating to get the documents

• Birth Certificate• Ration Cards• Photo Passes

Finally this mediation will provide meaningful land rights to the poor and other marginalized groups

Our Interventions

Article 22: Each person of the society has the right to social security and free development of the personality

Article 25: Right to standard of living which include food, clothing, housing, medical care and social services and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widow hood, old age and circumstances beyond control through national and international co-operation

Article 10: All human beings are born free and are equal indignity and rights

Article 11: No discrimination shall be made on the basis of the political jurisdictional or international status of the country

International Covenant of the Economic Social Cultural Rights (ICESCR)The covenant on the rights of the child (CRC)Covenant on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against woman (CEDAW)

Social SecurityUniversal Declaration of Human Rright (UDHR)Recognition of inherent dignity and the equal rights of the human family is the foundation of the freedom, justice and peace in the world

ConcernsIn India • People are deprived of implementation of law• 60% income of the country is being generated by

the chronic poor out of which 6% of the labors are secured

• People are not enjoying the benefits of law, the poor are ignorant and are denied the law and are unincorporated entities

• 360 million workers are deprived of the law• Implementing machinery is dominated by the

political leadership• Globalization India is at cross roads between

social vs commercial

Solutions

• Regulation of employment

• Health insurance initiatives

• Micro enterprises

• Involvement of NGOs

• Level of funding of the Central and State governments should be done in coherence

• Even distribution of the wealth between the rich and the poor

• Mahatma Gandhi --- “My success is due to the Christian influence,” My feelings gathered momentum owing to the fierce attack of Christians against the oppression on the underprivileged.”

• Pandita Rama Bai --- “Help me educate the high cast child widows, for I solemnly believe that this hated and despised class of women, if educated and enlightened are by God’s grace to redeem India”. She said pinned her faith to the promise of God.

• Swami Vivekanand, Gandhi and Tagore’s, Neo Hindu Movementof protest saw in Christ, the source of a new universal humanism.

• Indira Gandhi and others have said about Mother Teressa, “ I feel small before this great servant of God”.

Where do we as Christians stand

to day ?

ConclusionExodus 7: “I am concerned about their

suffering” “I have heard their cry” “Let my people go is the

ethical affirmation of the Bible”.

The ministry of Jesus is mentioned in the historical records – He was said to the poor, a worker, a nobody, and unemployed carpenter, a political prisoner tortured for his statements.

Is Christian voice today not heard because we are a small percentage of people? Yet we are called salt of the earth and Light of the world.

• If there is any social awareness in our country, it is because of Christian missionaries

• We have undertaken the task of building people, in obedience to God’s calling

• After fifty long years of independence, the sufferings of people must shake up the Christians

• The holistic approach to Evangelism is the genuine service to His mission