India (MNN) — Orphan Outreach agreed to a cooperative relationship with India-based Redeeming India last month, providing oversight and raising support for the group's children ministry.
Redeeming India was founded in 2003 as a rescue ministry for infant girls facing murder. In 2007, Orphan Outreach leaders had the opportunity to visit Redeeming India and immediately wanted to become involved with its mission.
"Seeing all those beautiful girls that would have otherwise been killed was a powerful testament to what orphan ministry is about," said Mike Douris, president of Orphan Outreach. "These girls literally have a chance at a future because of Redeeming India's work."
By working undercover with midwives, Redeeming India has rescued over 20 girls since its inception. A belief in animism has caused some villages to believe that if an odd numbered pregnancy (i.e. the first, third, or fifth) produced a girl, the child was cursed. The family would be cursed by evil spirits as long as the girl lived, but if she died, there was the hope of being reincarnated as a boy. The midwife announces a child's gender to the parents; she is paid well if the child is a boy and says "it is a waste" if it's a girl.
Parents then pay the midwife approximately $8 to dispose of the infant–the same price paid to view a movie in America. Methods used for murder are violent and include feeding the baby poison, wrapping it in wet cloth, snapping its spine, and burying the child alive. Redeeming India pays midwives $80 to rescue these baby girls from certain death. The group then tries to find a Christian home in India for rescued children.
Orphan Outreach, a Dallas-based ministry to orphaned and at-risk children, began to work cooperatively with Redeeming India to secure the future of its mission.
"Orphan Outreach can assist in providing for the long-term growth and professional consultation that will be required to ensure the future of the girls currently in the orphanage and to allow the ministry to impact and serve more children," said Redeeming India's director, Dave Wallis. "They can also provide leadership support through India-based Orphan Outreach staff."
If you'd like to help rescue a baby girl in India or learn more about Redeeming India's work, visit their Web site by clicking here.
