Support the poorest in India

Medical Aid and Evangelism in North India

Context
With nearly 1.5 billion people, India is the most populous country in the world. This vast population also brings significant challenges. Healthcare, education, employment, and equal opportunities are difficult to manage for that amount of people. The inequality in India is growing: the rich are getting richer, and the poor are becoming even poorer. More than 200 million Indians are malnourished, which is approximately 14% of the total population.
Additionally, India is also the country where most people have not yet been reached with the Gospel. Religion plays a significant role in India, and the majority of the population (over 80%) is Hindu. They are generally not open to other religions. The prevailing belief is: “If you are Indian, you are Hindu.” Life for Christians in India can be very difficult. In some states, converting to Christianity can even lead to fines or imprisonment.

COMMENT: the work of the organization in question is highly sensitive in India. Evangelization work in particular entails risks. Due to the safety of the local employees, we unfortunately cannot mention the name of the organization nor the project here online. If you would like to know more about their work, we would be happy to tell you all about it in a personal conversation!

Reaching Remote Areas with Medical Aid and the Gospel
Our projects are active in two states in northern India. When local evangelists began their work and saw the dire healthcare situation, they decided to take action. It didn’t feel right to share the gospel with people who were dying due to a lack of access to medical care. At the same time, the medical projects provide a practical way to demonstrate the love of Jesus. This project is divided into two sub-projects that complement each other and cannot exist without one another.

Sub-project 1 – Medical Aid
For most people in these states, the nearest hospital is more than a day’s walk away. As a result, they rarely seek medical attention. The consequences? Many people suffer from treatable conditions, preventing them from working and leaving entire families without food.
Additionally, maternal and infant mortality rates are the highest in all of India. One major factor is chronic malnutrition among women. The average BMI of women in rural India is 42% below the normal value. Furthermore, 47% of children are malnourished.
By holding consultation hours in various villages and organizing medical camps in central locations, we aim to provide access to doctors. Each year, we help around 5,000 people, either in a clinic or at their homes.

‘It is incredibly important that we organize these medical camps. Your eyesight is crucial in daily life. It can determine whether you can work, continue studying, or care for your family. Many conditions are easy to treat with glasses, eye drops, or cataract surgery. We provide these services free of charge.’ – Eyes doctor at a medical camp

Sub-project 2 – Evangelism
Around 35 local evangelists work among the rural tribes in northern India. They lead and coordinate evangelism and outreach efforts, organizing small gatherings and engaging in children’s, youth, and women’s ministries. We provide training, resources, and a modest monthly salary for these evangelists.
Over the past years, approximately 4,500 people have become Christians, more than 1,600 have been baptized, and 44 churches have been planted. This is truly unique in India, especially in these remote areas.

‘Jesus Christ never promised an easy life for those who spread His Word. But faith continues to grow despite opposition. You need to understand the local context, know what is happening, and truly live among the people. We strive to learn from our experiences and develop guidelines—how to handle opposition, local corruption, and even violence.’ – Local Evangelist

Project Costs
We want to continue this work in the coming years and are looking for donors who feel called to support this project. A budget has been established for each sub-project to realize our plans.
The estimated annual cost for the clinic is approximately €15,000. Supporting the 35 evangelists costs approximately €48,000 per year. The total project costs averages €63,000 per year.
For 2025, an additional €45,000 is still needed. For 2026 and 2027, the full amount of €63,000 per year is required. You can support this initiative fully, per sub-project, or with a donation starting from €10,000, enabling us to collaborate with multiple partners in sustaining the project.

Warm Recommendation from MissionInvest
In November 2024, I, Wim Hasselman, visited this project. In rural India, time seems to stand still. Everything remains very basic, traditional, and authentic. Within this context, this project plays an incredible role. It was impressive to witness how a small rural clinic can truly make a difference for the local population, as there are no other medical facilities in the entire region.

I was also deeply moved by the dedication of the evangelists, who share the Gospel with great love and passion in what we might consider extremely simple church buildings. When you realize that they regularly face violence from fundamentalist Hindu groups, you can only be in awe of God’s work in this area.

I feel incredibly privileged to have spent a few days with the local team. MissionInvest is enthusiastic about the professional leadership of this organization, which has been carrying out this work discreetly and effectively for over 25 years, despite limited resources. We are fully convinced of its impact! As MissionInvest, we wholeheartedly recommend this project to you!