The Dalit people of India, numbering 250-300 million, are victims of caste-based, socially-sanctioned bigotry. They are denied basic human rights; their children do not go to school. In 2001 the Dalit leadership gave the invited help to give their children an English education in a worldview of dignity and personal worth that serves the whole person and includes community and spiritual development.
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Read more... [An Historic Invitation]
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The New Dalit Education Centres |
 At the request of the Dalits, Operation Mercy Charitable Company (OMCC), in cooperation with other Indian organisations, initiated the development of 100 of the proposed 1,000 Dalit Education Centres. This figure still only represents one school centre for every 250,000 Dalits. The Dalits believe these Education Centres are crucial to the future of their people group in providing a way out of poverty permanently.
Affordable land within slum areas, suitable for a school is purchased with assurances given from the local Dalits that they will cooperate with the educational moves encouraging people to break with tradition and send their children to school. In this way there is a demonstration of thinking a generation ahead and beyond.
Education costs for the children are currently met by OMCC totally from raised funds. Of the 7500 children already in DEC’s some 4000 have child sponsorship to help meet these costs – the remainder is redirected from other funds that should be used for the provision of more facilities. |
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DECs: Transforming the Community |
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 After nearly five full academic years, the Dalit Education Centers have already made positive steps toward transforming the Dalit communities in which they are located. Most DECs have community-based activities for both children and adults of all ages.
Such activities include the following: |
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Read more... [DECs: Transforming the Community]
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