Native missionary Sahuji recently visited the ANM office in Virginia to share an update on how we’re helping the destitute Musahar children of India. I was honored to interview him about the vision of this project and the progress so far.
Rebecca: We had a big campaign for the Musahar children, which you’re helping with on the field. I’d like to know the impact of gifts like food and clothing.
Sahuji: It has a profound impact on the children and the community as a whole. You must understand how this community lives and their position in society. Their name comes from two Hindi words and means “rodent eater.” They are known as the lowest caste.
The constitution of India and the government helps such groups with their jobs and studies, but to enjoy those benefits they need an education. Their literacy rates are very, very low, so most of these communities cannot come up to the stage where they can benefit from government assistance. That is one of their biggest hurdles.
This community, because of poverty and caste segregation, doesn’t have the privileges and comforts that others have.
Let me tell you about my first impression when I visited [the Musahar]. I was in Bihar, in a remote area, and the first thing we saw is that the surroundings were so unhygienic, unhealthy, and dirty. Very dingy and dark place. The first thing we noticed was that there were children loitering around and most of them were totally nude up until 8, 9, even 10 years old. You could see mud all over their bodies.
They had no complaints, but we knew that they were without clothes, without food, without education that every human being, every Indian, has a right to. Every Indian has a right to get food, shelter, clothes, and education.
We felt very bad for them. The caste system is very bad and in Bihar, the dominant castes control everything. The Musahar children and community are untouchable.
We found out that most of the children did not have ID cards. At least 80% don’t have their birth certificate. Currently one of our struggles is how do we get birth certificates and other ID cards for them?
Now, our major focus is education. How do we ensure that each child is at least a high school graduate? After that, our desire is to see the boy or the girl put into training. They get employed, they have a social standing of their own, and they have dignified living. For that, education is primary.
While education is there, we also have to see after their health. Such as whether they’re properly vaccinated and how their overall health condition is.
At our first glance, we saw that 80–90% of children, boys and girls, were malnourished. You can see it in their hair, the size of their arms, and their eyes. We measure them now to see how they’re developing.
If their body isn’t properly taken care of, their studies and growth are affected. Education and health are then the priorities for us.
There are public schools, but the Musahar children are not allowed to sit with the others. I have seen in many schools that they sit outside of the class and even then the higher caste boys and girls will chase them away.
So they are not educated, including about their health. These are our common concerns for the children and children are the future.
Give monthly nutritional support to Musahar children now
Some of these children, when we talk to them, their dream is to be a police officer or a doctor or a teacher. They have a dream. How do we help them actualize their dream? That’s agenda number two, after health and education.
Another thing is that girls are married very early. It can happen from age 11 to 14. Everyone thinks it’s okay, even though it’s not legal. So we ask, how do you delay marriage? The girl’s body isn’t fully grown and developed to be a mother. If they come to be with child, the child and mother mortality rates are very high.
So how do we delay marriage, and what’s the best alternative? Then we thought we can give them some skill programs, like tailoring or computers.
I remember that on my first visit, I had my laptop. I asked them, have you seen computers or laptops? They didn’t know the name, but they’d seen it a little bit. They were amazed by what I could show them. It’s the 21st century and India is so advanced, but these children are untouched by the development of society.
How do we bring them up to par with other children? How do we show that the world loves them, cares for them, and that the love of Jesus compels us to help them? We cannot just be quiet.
Getting clothing and meals helped a lot. I remember, one of the first times we were with these children, we gave them small candies when they came for their studies. When they got that tiny candy, they were so excited. You could see the glee on their faces in their smiles. So you can imagine how excited they were when we started giving a midday meal when they came to study.
While doing this program, we saw that hygienic living was unheard of. They were dirty and didn’t take baths. We’ve taught cleanliness and installed wells for water. Before, they had to go a very far distance to fetch water, so we gave them water wells closer.
We trained some of the local teachers, and they talk to the parents about health, hygiene, good food habits, and such. It’s showing results and we’re glad, but we have a long way to go.
Rebecca: Alright, thank you. That’s a wonderful update on everything you’re doing with the Musahar.
