Featured Project: Orissa Water and Housing
Project Update - Feb 24, 2010
Our Orissa partner, Asia Pacific Baptist Aid, has been working with locals to rebuild churches and community halls. Digging tube wells will start after monsoon season ends.
Click on the picture to view the latest construction.
Project Update - Aug 10, 2010
Download the latest compliance report to view the details of construction.
Orissa Report - Aug 2010
Project Update - Jan 25, 2010
Download the latest compliance report to view the details of construction.
Orissa Report - Jan 2010
About the Project
Christians in Orissa have undergone severe and widespread persecution this past year. The roots of persecution are systemic in nature, deeply engrained in social, political, and cultural structures. The most recent wave of violence started December 24, 2007 in the Kandhamal district of Orissa during Christmas celebrations. Although Hindu-Christian altercations are not extraordinary to the region, the current events are unprecedented in nature. According to Human Rights Watch, extremist Hindu groups in Orissa have been conducting anti-Christian campaigns in an attempt to suppress the growth of the Christians in the region.
The violence erupted to new levels in August 2008 when a local Hindu leader was killed by terrorist Maoist rebels. Blaming Christians for the swami's death, fanatic Hindus waged a coordinated attack against Christian churches, orphanages, schools, hospitals, and against fellow citizens of Orissa. The persecution has been severe and substantial in scope. Church leaders have been executed, Bibles and religious materials have been burned and confiscated, and Christians have been tortured to renounce their faith. Dozens of Christians have been killed and up to 50,000 have been displaced from their homes due to persecution.
Numbers can only tell one side of the story. Many children have become malnourished from scavenging for food and also due to the lack of sanitary conditions in relief camps. Christians in Orissa have become helpless, homeless, and churchless. Yet instead of losing hope, Christians are thriving midst the persecution. There are reports of new converts and people returning to faith.
The violence has slowly subsided but communities are struggling to cope in the wake of the destruction. Families are slowly starting to come out of hiding and leaving relief camps to return to their homes. Yet they return to a life of uncertainty as homes and whole communities have been damaged and uprooted. We now have an opportunity to help Orissa rebuild their community.