Needs Assessment
Population Assets
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Committed to Christianity
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Despite the persecution, the church in India continues to grow. (Voice of the Martyrs, [VOM], 2021). ​
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When Christians are attacked, they often drop the charges against their attackers to show forgiveness as a witness for Christ (VOM, 2021).
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“As I was locked in isolation, I realized I had more time for communion with the Lord and I waited with patience, praying and thanking the Lord for everything.”
– Guarav
(Open Doors, 2021)
SocioPolitical considerations
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Government
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​Under prime minister Modi, the Hindu nationalist organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has grown 20%. RSS seeks to forcibly convert all to Hinduism. The prime minister has said that he will not tolerate religious discrimination, but his actions have not followed through with his words.
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Policies are being vaguely put in place in many Indian states that forbid the conversion of Hindus to Christianity. These policies are used against pastors, church planters, and evangelists (VOM, 2021).
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Poverty
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Those who live on $2 a day or less have increased by 75 million as a result of COVID-19.
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The poverty rate has risen from 4.3 to 9.7% since the start of COVID-19 (Kochhar, 2021).
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The number of poor in India is 134 million people (Kochhar, 2021).
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Other causes of increased poverty include rising populations, low agricultural productivity, unemployment, and the British exploitation of natural resources (Chopra, 2020).
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Indian government has launched poverty alleviation programs such as the Indira Awaas Yojna (IAY) and The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA). IAY builds houses for those who belong to tribes, scheduled castes, free bonded laborers, and the rural poor living below the poverty level. MGNGEGA guaranteed 100 days of wage employment in the form of unskilled manual labor each fiscal year (Chopra, 2020).
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Unemployment
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India is greatly lacking employment opportunities. Seventy-six percent of adults in India say it is a very big problem (Devlin, 2019).
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Degrading social status, geographical immobility, population explosion, and a defective education system are all contributors to the country’s issue of unemployment (Chopra, 2020).
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The government has made few attempts to lower unemployment, but none have been successful (Chopra, 2020).
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Population Needs
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Safety/Emergency Maintenance
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Ability to be in public without being attacked, abused, and possibly killed.
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Increased instances of Christians being victims of violence (Lal, 2021).
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Homes of Christians are spied on and broken into and interrogated without reason (Open Doors, 2021). ​​
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Religious and Spiritual Expression and Community Participation
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Bibles are unaffordable for those living in Hindu and Muslim-controlled areas (VOM, 2021).
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Worship services are being shut down, churches are being vandalized and even demolished (Lal, 2021).
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Occupational Justice
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Legal literacy is inadequate, police do not want to register cases of violence against Christians, and assailants rarely face prosecution in court (Lal, 2021).
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Lack of justice prevents Christians from participating in daily occupations.
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Job Performance and Maintenance
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Christians who refuse to convert to Hinduism are often boycotted from society and lost the ability to find work and make an income (Open Doors, 2021).
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Food Instability
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Christians have been overlooked when COVID-19 food and aid have been distributed leaving many severely impoverished and malnourished (Open Doors, 2021).
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Supportive Organizations
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Open Doors
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OpenDoors provides long-term and emergency aid to 60+ countries. In India, OpenDoors provides emergency aid, persecution survival training, Bibles, livelihood and community development programs, advocacy support, and legal training (Open Doors, 2021).
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Aid to Churches in Need (ACN)
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ACN supports Christians where they are persecuted, oppressed by providing practical assistance and pastoral care.
Christian Aid
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In India, Christian Aid works on social exclusion, governance, human rights, and sustainable livelihoods by addressing structural causes of poverty and promoting social inclusion.