Dalit Education Centers

While the Indian economy is booming and opportunities abound for young people who are proficient in English, Dalit children are often excluded from even the most basic education in India. The Dalit Freedom Network, DFN, has established 80 Dalit Education Centers, DECs, throughout India to provide a well-rounded education to Dalit children. Their goal is to have 100 DECs up and running by 2009 and 1000 DECs by the year 2017. The goals are ambitious, the needs are great, and the opportunity for us to make a difference, together, is very real!

What We're Doing

The Chapel community has helped to start seven new DECs and provided funding for a high school wing at an eighth center.

• More than 500 Dalit children can now attend school and become proficient at their own local dialect as well as English thanks to supporters from The Chapel.

• In addition to raising money for school supplies, the Chapel Children's Department funded an effort to train Dalit villagers carpentry skills so they could make the desks their children would need at the DECs. In addition to meeting this tangible need to advance their children's education, the adults acquired a valuable new job skill.

• Teams of American educators from The Chapel travel to India on short-term trips to conduct teacher education clinics there.

• For less than $1 per day, you can sponsor the education of one Dalit child. Just $28 per month, enables DFN to offer tuition, a healthy midday meal (where needed), uniforms, teachers' salaries, curriculum and other necessities that can forever impact a Dalit child and their family. You will receive regular progress reports periodically and a new photo of your child each year.

• Retired teachers or other professional educators are needed for short-term trips to train Indian teachers (especially during the school year.) Trips are currently focused on training elementary level teachers, but this will change as more DECs add secondary programs. Please consider using your teacher training skills in this new and exciting way.

• There is a particular need for two addition teachers to join a short-term trip from October 25 - November 8, 2008.

• Vocational training for adults, schoolbooks for Dalit children and ongoing prayer support teams here at home are some additional areas where education volunteers are also needed.