What is it all about?

PictureVillage boys in Kamandodi, near Halvi
BSG is a small UK-based charity. We partner with organisations in developing countries to develop long-term solutions in tackling the cycle of poverty.

We are currently working through the Church of South India (CSI) in the Bellary area of Karnataka state in India, specifically in their work with the poor and under-privileged - usually referred to as 'dalits' but previously called 'untouchables' - the poorest and lowest caste. The background there is that the CSI has for over 150 years had a major concern for the very poorest in the community and has set up a number of girls and boys boarding homes plus schools and hospitals. The homes enable dalit children to receive a full education thereby escaping the cycle of poverty (rather than leave school at an early age to labour in the fields or in construction to help support their families).

The Homes and churches are proud of the number of children who go on to become engineers, nurses, teachers, and other professionals. Children who would otherwise have been day-labourers but now who through a full education can fulfil their potential.
What are Dalits?
  • Dalit means ‘downtrodden’. Also known as ‘outcastes’ or ‘untouchables’
  • Ghandi’s name – 'Children of God'
  • They live in a “cycle of poverty”
  • Landless casual labourers – typically in agriculture or construction
  • If there is no work – they have no money
  • Income is well below United Nations poverty level at about $2 per day​
  • The whole family works to get enough money
  • Education is the way out of the cycle of poverty, but many are too poor to allow their children to gain a full school education
The CSI Homes
  • The CSI has 4 Homes in the Bellary Area
  • The Homes provide Christian nurture and boarding accommodation for dalit children from surrounding villages
  • This enables them to attend schools in the towns or larger villages and removes the financial burden from the family
  • About a third of children are Christian. Others are Hindu or Moslem
  • Selection is based on need eg orphan, loss of a parent, family poverty