India (MNN) — Increasing attacks on Christians in India aren't stopping ministries from growing there. Orphan Outreach is just one organization reafching out in that area of the world. Their focus is on orphaned children and those infected with HIV.
President of Orphan Outreach Mike Douris says, "There's definitely a lot of persecution in India against Christians. And people who are living by faith in India are really under a lot of persecution and a lot of scrutiny. But it's amazing to see what God is doing and how the Gospel is spreading."
Orphan Outreach has started two initiatives already. Douris says, "We started our first school in Shahbad–a slum community just outside of Delhi. We have 36 students in the school, and we're slowly bringing children in from the community to the point where we'll have 200 by the end of this year."
According to Douris, Christian education is a great tool for outreach, even in the Hindu communities. "The Christian schools that are being formed there are actually being accepted by a lot of the Hindus because of the quality of the education. So it's become a great conduit in order to spread the Gospel."
Also in the last few months, they've started a program in Pune (poo-nay). "We're supporting a group home there that is taking care of about 14 children that are HIV positive," says Douris.
Douris says India is a top priority for them because of the statistics. "Pune is one of those cities right now that has an infection rate is almost two-percent. Anything above one-percent is epidemic, and it's quickly growing there."
Not only is HIV/AIDS growing, but so is something else — the orphan population. "Currently in India there are 35-million children that are classified as orphans, in one country. Many of these children are being orphaned because of AIDS. The group home is there to basically provide housing and education, and to help these kids be able to live productive lives because their parents have died of AIDS."
This isn't even scratching the surface of what needs to be done in India. Douris says they need church support. "We're actually looking for a church to come along side this particular group home in order to provide support and also be a partner and work with these children."
