Helping the poorest of the poor has always been at the heart of The Message, with our long-standing association with Compassion in aid of Haiti just one expression.

For the last 20 years, Message co-founder Simon Hawthorne (pictured right) has been leading an initiative to help the poorest people in the vast country of India.

The Dalits, sometimes known as ‘untouchables’, are the victims of India’s strict caste system. Approximately 250 million people suffer poverty and prejudice as a result of this religious ideology.

A recent survey conducted among rural villages in India found caste discrimination was overwhelmingly prevalent. Dalits are frequently forbidden from using communal water supplies, prevented from attending schools and denied other basic human rights. This makes them a target for human trafficking – particularly young women and girls.

Since 1995, Simon’s organisation Life Association has built schools and orphanages providing a loving home for Dalit street children in Mumbai. But now he feels the time is right to do more.

‘This is a modern-day story of slavery – with strong parallels to the Israelites before the exodus,’ explains Simon. ‘We feel that God has heard the cries of the Dalits, just as he heard the Israelites in Exodus 3. Now our role is to raise awareness of their plight, working with schools, churches, the government and other organisations.

‘The Dalits urgently need a voice, one that applies international pressure on the Indian Government to enforce their own laws and introduce a fair system that protects the rights of the individual.’

Life Association is now working to spread the news of the Dalits’ plight in schools and churches, through child sponsorship and by selling candles made in the slums of Mumbai.

More details on their website: www.lifeassociation.co.uk

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This article first appeared in the Summer edition of Flow Magazine.