India is a land of ancient and diverse cultures. The physical, ethnic, and religious variety in India is immense.

India is the seventh largest country in area and the second largest country in population. It is a democracy, going back nearly half a century.

Each state offers a different landscape, from golden beaches to rugged mountains to rice paddies. It is within this rich diversity that Children of Promise ministers.

Children of Promise in India

In northeastern India, Children of Promise works in the city of Siliguri. The people of the church are from Hindu background. There are many poor children who benefit from the supplementary help of food, clothing, and educational opportunities which sponsorship provides.

In the state of Orissa, Children of Promise sponsors girls at The Shelter. Since 1914, hundreds of girls have found security, education and Christian nurture at The Shelter. Presently, sixty-two girls live together with two house mothers and the directors, learning, growing, sharing, and caring for one another. (Sponsorship of a girl at The Shelter provides the sole support for the child each month. Sponsorships atThe Shelter are $40.)

In the middle of the rice paddies of Western Orissa, there is a tiny mud village where Children of Promise also offers individual sponsorship. Before Children of Promise began ministering in this area, most of these children did not even eat once a day. No girl was able to attend school. Instead, they were married off between the ages of 12-14. Many of the children were ill, with orange streaks in their hair, giving evidence of their malnutrition.  But today, these children have hope. They are learning to read and write. They are well-fed. The girls go to school. Their black hair shines under the hot sun. We are truly grateful for the loving support of our sponsors who have made this transformation possible.

Yet still, there are children in these areas waiting. . . waiting for that special someone to love them across the ocean, to give them a chance for a better tomorrow.

Some of the girls at The Shelter.	Paul Maxfield with one of the sponsored girls.
The children and the parents in Western Orissa.	Some of the boys receiving their lunch of rice, curried vegetables, and curried meat.