Went round three slums today with KCM (Kolkata City Mission) where they run three schools.

The first slum a Dalit community was a shocking contrast being in the shadow of the massive tower block headquarters and radio tower of the local Telecoms Company. The children were very welcoming. Many in the community work as street cleaners, and despite them being despised and untouchable they were very kind to us. It’s incredible to see God’s work in these places and the sharing of the good news of Christ.

The second slum we went to was a ’Tribal’ area and the people there were viewed as lower than the low. Even the Dalit swould not talk to this community. They own the land they live on and have their own laws and justice system. The people there are doing an amazing job running a small school, with very few resources, giving pre-school children the basics to allow them to get an education. KCM had been invited into the community by one of the women who had a desire to provide this service.

We then went to KCM’s headquarters for lunch and the usual Indian midday rest. Amos and his co-worker gave us a presentation about their work. They are doing great things for God reaching out to places where others won’t go and helping people to ‘live with dignity’ as their motto proclaims. This was all very impressive! We were also treated to a cup of ‘Chai’ only the second time since we arrived even though on our orientation day we were told that we would be offered it everywhere.

The third slum had the reputation of being the home of all the robbers and murderers in Kolkata. Here we met some teenage boys –  we had not met any one of this age before – and they were very welcoming. They taught us to play the local board game ‘Carry’ {sometimes called Carrom} but unfortunately we did not have time to join them in a game of football. It was nice to see older children and they were so welcoming and listened to our singing and Geoff’s story.