Send Hope

Write to: Children in India

Children in Christian families in India have faced increased bullying and violence in recent times. There is a strong feeling in the country, and from the government, that everybody should be Hindu. Sometimes their homes are attacked, or they may be thrown out of their villages. They may be denied access to water, education or government rations, because of their faith. When it’s this difficult to be a Christian, you need encouragement.

Children who are not from Christian families also need encouragement. When it is discovered that they are attending church activities, their families start to object. “Christianity is considered a detestable religion in our village,” one young boy told us. He started to attend church secretly, but when his mother found out he was told off and beaten many times. This is not uncommon.

Guidelines for emailed messages…

This is a digital encouragement campaign so all messages will need to be sent to messagestoindia@opendoorsuk.org. Please don’t send physical drawings or messages as we won’t be able to send them. However, it means you can be more creative! Here are some suggestions for what you could send:

• a photo of an object or image with a Bible verse
• a photo of a hand-drawn self-portrait of a child
• a short video with captions or audio message
• a short audio message, e.g. children talking or singing.

Security guidelines…

• Do not mention Open Doors in any messages.
• You can provide your first name, but don’t add anything else – do not provide your address.
• Do not send money or make offers of help.
• Do not mention anything to do with the news, religion, politics or government of India.

Plus…

• To avoid problems with permissions, please don’t send photos or videos that include children’s faces.
• Please don’t use pre-recorded music as this will infringe copyright and performing rights laws.
• Please don’t direct your messages towards any individual you have read about in Open Doors communications. Your message may be shared with different children in different settings, e.g., at events or meetings where persecuted Christians are gathered together.
• Keep messages as simple and as personal as possible. Explain why you feel for people suffering for their faith in India. For instance, if you know what it’s like to be sad or worried, share how God has helped you at these times. Or take an idea from a Bible story or verse that means something to you.

Back to letter-writing page…