India (MNN) ― The movie "Slumdog Millionaire" brought light to the conditions in which thousands of children in India live.
Worldwide Christian Schools works with these children in the slums of India. For many of the children who attend, if it weren't for their school, they would not have a single healthy meal in a day. They would never know kind words or encouragement, learn to read, or, more importantly, be introduced to the hope of Jesus Christ.
Even in government schools where teaching was going on, rote learning still dominates the classroom. Even in terms of reading, writing and arithmetic, learning achievements are low. The government found that 80% of the children in grades 4 or 5 could do simple addition and 60% could do simple subtraction. However, when it came to even single digit multiplication, the proportion dropped to 55%. And only half could do a simple division by 5.
A large proportion of children are unable to read and write or answer simple questions, even after 4 or 5 years at school. Unfortunately, years of schooling and grades completed continue to remain an unreliable guide to what children learn and know.
Their literacy levels will likely prevent them from being able to get out of the slums. WWCS has been working to change that. They've already launched several schools that are offering Christ-centered education, but the needs are much greater than the schools can handle. Meeting those needs requires funding and prayer support--a task which requires people to catch the vision.
That's why WWCS launched "The Slumschool Project," a campaign using Facebook, the online social networking Web site.
They're trying to raise funds and awareness to build and support three schools that would provide a Christian education to children in the slums of India.
The goal is to raise a network of one million supporters and one million dollars by December 2009. To help achieve this goal, the team sought the services of a talented artist to create an image that would help spread the message of hope that supporters like you are bringing to India's children.
This image, printed on a t-shirt from U.S.-based company American Apparel, is available when you donate or raise $100. Click here for more details on how you can get involved with the project.
