India (MNN) — In India, COVID-19 and its variants are creating another tragedy: Orphans. Approximately 30,000 Indian children have been orphaned or lost a parent due to COVID-19.
At one point, India was seeing 40,000 new COVID-19 cases a day. The second wave that began in March claimed many lives in a country where social distancing is often difficult. Over 436,000 COVID-19 victims in India have died. And analysts even say these numbers are likely vastly undercounted due to lack of resources.
Erik* with Mission India says, “With the amount of spread and all of that, we saw an extreme amount of people passing away and perishing from the COVID Delta variant. So what happened was lot of children lost their parents and caregivers.
“So not only are children trying to stay healthy during that spread and now, but now they lost their way to have income because their parents can’t bring money in. They lost their parental leadership. And they lost that love and that support they had.”
(Photo courtesy of Mission India)
The most heartbreaking question for these kids is, “What now?”
Erik says, “We have a children’s rights group. They said they are getting 70 calls a day for help for children whose parents have died or are hospitalized with COVID-19.
“You can just imagine the ramifications for a child. Even if they didn’t get COVID, what is one to do now that you’re orphaned?”
In the midst of this, Mission India is standing in the gap for these kids.
Mission India works with local Indian believers to run Children’s Bible Clubs. Both their 10-Day Children’s Bible Clubs and Year-Long Children’s Bible Clubs introduce these kids to God’s love and let them know they are never alone.
“Our Children’s Bible Clubs have come around these kids who have lost that support of their parents — whether the parents have passed away or are hospitalized,” Erik says.
“They’re there to provide that love and that support and a listening ear. And they also get to provide the love of Jesus to a kid who’s just reeling and desiring to find that love that they so desperately need at a time like this.”
(Photo courtesy of Mission India)
Mission India has also distributed over 150,000 Relief Kits to families impacted by COVID-19. Those Relief Kits provide a family of four enough food for four weeks, as well as critical supplies like masks, vitamins, and hand sanitizer.
You can donate here to support Mission India’s Relief Kits or Children’s Bible Clubs.
Also, Erik asks, “Be praying for those children, that they would find peace, that they would find the love of Jesus, and that our leaders in India would be guided by Jesus as they look to say, ‘What can I do next to help these communities that we operate in?’”
Header photo courtesy of Mission India.
*Name changed for security purposes.
