Dignity Freedom Network

I have seen first-hand what this organization does on the ground when I volunteered in a Good Shepherd School many years ago. DFN uses the money we donate, along with prayer and God's guidance, to completely change the trajectory of the lives of entire families. The impact they are making in individual lives is incalculable. The people of DFN, the teachers, the nurses, all those that are working to rescue "the least of these" are truly laying up their treasures in heaven. If you donate to DFN, you are participating in one of the most impactful ministries I have ever been involved in, and as Jesus says, where your treasure is, there is your heart also.

This organization is doing so much good for so many! They operate with integrity and compassion to all they serve! I'm proud to support them financially!

DFN is doing powerful work to empower women, children, and whole families and communities!

There’s something about a nonprofit that is creating sustainability within the community. Once a school is set up, is it completely run within its community including teachers and administrators

I love the work DFN does. It's restorative and full of hope.

DFN has been one of my top 5 charitable organizations for at least 10 years, likely more. They have never fallen off that list either. They are truly dedicated to their mission of providing top notch English-based education to rural Indians. Their facts speak for themselves on the number of high school graduates they have had, many of whom go on to further education. For me, education is a cornerstone of bringing people out of poverty. DFN also focuses another major challenge for India - human trafficking. They are proactive in providing shelter, education and life skills to formerly trafficked women - so these women never need to be on the streets again. I am also extremely impressed with their leadership team and their dedication to the mission.

I have been a supporter of Dignity Freedom Network for the past 5 years. My heart was pierced when I saw a video of the young girls being rescued from a life of exploitation, teen marriage, abuse and starvation. DFN provides not only a safe place for these girls to get a quality education, they give them a freedom they would have not known before. DFN has responsibly used their funds to provide healthcare to fratured families, teach young women skills so they can provide for their families and give those in their care a hopeful future.

I visited India with DFN and saw their great work firsthand. My life will never be the same!

Dignity Freedom Network (DFN) is doing profound and incredible work! The organization's mission is so strategic and pivotal for the future of India. Young girls and women are incredibly oppressed, marginalized and underserved. DFN is stepping up to the plate and being the hands and feet of Jesus.

An amazing organization doing an amazing work! They are saving the lives of children and women all across the country of India. They are also trustworthy and do what they say they are going to do!

I've been blessed to partner with DFN for the past 14 years. I learned about DFN during an event at my church and have been happy to be a small part in the amazing work that God is doing in the lives of these precious children ever since.

I have been lucky to have actually been to India and visit the schools that this organization runs for the children of India. I have heard first hand the difference that is being made in the lives of the students and in their families. My family sponsors 3 children in India through DFN. I receive annual reports on my 3 boys we sponsor and a letter every year. It is wonderful to hear about their goals (doctor, engineer and teacher in my case).
This nonprofit is truly making a difference and has a heart for helping the people of India

We have been sponsors to now 3 children under the ministry of Dignity Freedom Network. It is a pleasure and a Blessing to be part of breaking the chains of poverty for these children and families through education so these children can bring marketable skills to their society. Our prayers translate into action by supporting Dignity Freedom Network. The financial cost is minimal but the Rewards are Eternal.

We have been supporting this non-profit for several years because we believe in the methods, motivations, and accountability provided by Dignity Freedom Network. We feel very informed about where our support goes, and they do an excellent job staying in communication and making the needs visible while also being very encouraging. It is clear they are making a difference for many vulnerable families!

Amazing group of believers in Christ that helps the marginalized people.

I have a great story to share with all supporters of the Dalit Freedom Network.
Joseph D'Souza was the leader of Operation Mobilization Mumbai, India when I spend time with O.M. in India.
I was infected with a very serious dose of salmonella food poisoning but Joseph D'Souza personally stopped any medical attention (he refused a doctors visit) as I was laying on the floor in the O.M. office entering into a coma. As a result of the effects of the high fever I ended up with brain damage (I had to undergo a serious brain operation some years later) Joseph D'Souzas charity is neither a genuine nor is it a serious attempt to help those in need for a christian who refuses help to his brother in need does not have the true heart of a christian. This charity is only a means to raise funds for his and for his families financial benefits and not for the benefits of those who are in need. It is a Fraud!
I urge any supporters to be cautious and to be wise with their money and to support projects that are genuine and that truly honor the Lord but not charities which have only been set up to enrich an individual and his family

I am supporting a second child through the Dalia Freedom Network. I first heard about this organization several years ago now via a Caedmon's Call CD ("Share the Well") and I was deeply impacted by the stories of the "untouchable" people of India. What joy to see the power of Christian faith and love in these children! I love receiving letters from my sponsored child, and I am very thankful for this ministry!

http://www.ebosswatch.com/Reviews/Dr.-Ana-Aspras-Steele/1345744842

this is a ploy to divide india.policies of nehru and indira made india to grow into this mess and not the oppression.Americans are following the same divide and rule policy.

I have been donating to this cause for over a year. It is a great charity because they help get children who are at risk get out of their terrible situations. They help with food and education and are trying to end the slavery of these children. I cannot think of a better cause than this. Anytime you can get children out of prostitution you are making right choices. I pray for this organization and the children.

I am able to have the macro and micro view as a donor, and see how my contributions help the children and the community as a whole.

I have been supporting 2 children for several years. I receive several letters a year from the children plus their pictures and school progress reports. I enjoy seeing them grow and progress.

Inhale loved being involved with DFN. Imam a teacher in the USA and have spent the last four summers in India. I have been able to meet one of my sponsor children and have blessed to visit her home and family on many occasions. I have loved traveling around, visiting teachers, and working together. My life has been enriched, I can't wait to go back!

Dalit Freedom Network is helping a group of people who really are needy and oppressed. I applaud them for their work.

I have been supporting a student through the DFN schools for over 4 years. I love having the opportunity to help empower a student whose social and economic status could have kept her from experiencing much success. I love that the love of Christ is shared with these students as well as academic knowledge. I receive letters and drawings from the student I support, and I post them to remind me to pray for her. She also reminds me that she prays for me.

Dalit Freedom Network keeps me informed about this student's progress and her family situation and health as well. They truly care for the whole child! I am honored to get to take part in my tiny little way in the ministry they do!

We first encountered Dalit Freedom Network in 2005 while in college and instantly feel in love with the staff, vision and mission. We have been supporting a girl for the last 3 years and love hearing from her as well as updates on all the education centers. We could not think of a better organization to nominate for Education 4 All's non-profit award. Tim and Dana Kramer

We would like to see the Dalit Freedom Network awarded the Education4 all great nonprofits award. We sponsor a child and have been very impressed with their organization and with the help they are giving these kids.
Thanks,
Dave, Stephanie and Matthew Gresh

I'd like to recommend DFN for the Education 4 All Great Nonprofits Award. I have been sponsoring a child for a number of years, and DFN is a fantastic organization, working to better the lives of the Indian Dalit by providing education for their children—kids who for thousands of years have been denied the right to be educated and live without fear of injustice and poverty.

We have supported two children through the Dalit Freedom Network for four years. Having been a contributor to various humanitarian causes over the years I am impressed with both the Mission of the Dalit Freedom Network and the organizational competency they demonstrate to operate a well run non-profit organization. The world today offers tremendous opportunity to help others and I am proud to be associated with the Dalit Freedom Network in their quest to improve lives through the education of children throughout India.

I have been sponsoring a child through this network for several years now, and there is no reason to stop! It is appalling that the caste system should judge a person worthy of an education or not. The Dalit are the lowest of the low- with no real name for their kind. They are not given adequate jobs to support families, and with not enough money for food, these children are destined to a life without education and a repeat of this cycle. Through the Dalit Freedom Network, these children are given an opportunity to gain an education and be valued in a society that otherwise does not give them either. It only takes one to change, and this network is the start.

My wife and I support two boys in a rural school in Uttar Pradesh. We have sponsored them for several years. We get regular updates and letters from the two boys as well as the school. We have followed up to get independent verification of the state of the school. We have a very high opinion of the transparency and authenticity of the organization. We highly recommend them and their vision for the Dalits of India.

I am able to fund 3 the education of 3 Dalit children, who are learning the message that they are valuable creations and not sub-human because of their caste. They are being given life through this message and also through their education, which will give them possibilities of jobs and careers. Without this education, there is no hope for them. I receive photos and biographical data of each child, as well as periodic postings of their grades and graduations. For less than $30.00 per month, I am able to do this for each child that I sponsor. I am horrified by the continuing effects of the caste system, but glad to be able to enable positive change for some of its victims.

I sponsor a young girl in India. Because of my contribution she is able to get schooling. It is such a blessing knowing that she has this opportunity, when normally in her circumstances she wouldn't have it. I know she has a hard life; her family is struggling. I love to receive letters and drawing from her, but even more I am thankful that I can support her and write words of encouragement to her.

I sponsor a girl who attends school in India, and it is such a joy and pleasure to get her letters. She also send pictures. I have written her back, and it's great to see her growing up.
I think it is so important to educate these impoverished children who are looked down and treated as lower-class simply because of their birth. Education is such a vital step in these childrens' lives to change society. I'm so glad I can part of it.

I'm a proud donor to Dalit Freedom Network, and have had my expectations exceeded with the thorough nature of this charity's work and communication regarding my donations.

Dalit Freedom Network is a wonderful and trustworthy organization that I'm blessed to be a part of. They are making a difference in the lives of children every day by breaking the cycle of abuse and poverty. They are a true "voice" for the children and are giving them a second chance at life. I have been a child sponsor for three years now and find it very rewarding and life changing. I really enjoy getting to know my sponsor child through letter writing and know that my involvement is having a significant impact on her life!

In October 2009, I visited some of the schools in India financed by DFN and was extremely pleased with the strategic approach implemented to help the Dalit people. There is a huge need and there are limited resources. How to proceed? Schools are truly a long-term, impactful and effective approach by which precious children are educated enabling them with tremendous opportunities that they would never have otherwise. A team of faithful locals are efficiently driving these projects with an inspirational vision. Dalits are so despised in most of India society, that people don’t let the shade of a Dalit person touch them in order not be cursed thereafter. I had the opportunity to shake the little hands of hundreds of children and it was amazing to see their faces instantly illuminated with bright eyes and beautiful wide smiles.

I became aware of the Dalit people group a few years ago when a team of women from our church went to India to minister to the Dalit. As a prayer token, I received a small, rough clay cup. It is a sample of what the Dalits are given when they ask for a drink in India. The Dalit are considered sub-human and thought to be filthy, so they are not given a glass like you or I would receive. They are given a clay cup, which is immediately broken after they use it so that no "human" will use it and be "contaminated". This single glimpse into the abuse of the Dalit people broke my heart, and I have prayed for them ever since. A year later, at a church conference I learned of many, many more abuses the Dalits suffer, especially the children, who are often kidnapped or sold into prostitution. I also learned about what the Dalit Freedom Network is doing to alleviate Dalit suffering and to bring them to their rightful place in humanity. It's more than an honor to give to DFN and to know that my dollars are carefully guarded, wisely spent, and will affect the destiny and eternity of a people whose time has come. I have nothing but the greatest respect for Dr. Ana Steele, with whom I was associated through my employer, OneHope. She is one strong woman, and her dogged determination to free the Dalits is inspiring many of us to answer the call to DO something!

I have worked for the Dalit Freedom Network for a few years as a volunteer. I was very frustrated with the fact that the organization had no ideas to share on how I could help the Dalit situation from my home in the US. Every event I had planned and I had to come up with my own ideas. Then I was asked to share these ideas with them and they then became their ideas. I received NO credit for my creative ideas and no recognition at the conference. Although my intentions for volunteering was not for recognition, I feel every volunteer needs some kind of recognition for their efforts. At the conference we learned only what some of the staff was responsible for. We did not get to hear what the other volunteers were doing to raise support. We all gave our ideas on paper. We were promised a copy, which we never received. I love what DFN represents but I hate the fact the staff seems too self involved and forget that they are there for the good of the Dalits. We spent a lot of money for the conference and NO ONE at DFN followed through with anything they promised to help us become more involved. I now work independently for the betterment of the Dalits.

It means a lot to me to be able to enrich the lives of some of the poorest of the poor. DFN provides hope for those who would have none. I love getting letters from the children I support and hearing how they are doing.

it is realy great service to dalit community in india.i come to know about DFN by net, so iwnt to join ,i spent some time in my life with DFN. dr . rc.aruldas dr.selvarani michael

The Dalit Freedom Network is doing the work I would do if I could physically be in India today. I am so grateful for their programs and for my precious Dalit child! There are few programs and nonprofits more important or more influential on a global level than the Dalit Freedom Network.

Although I am yet to be actively involved in this organisation, being aware of the grave and inhuman treatment the Dalits are suffering in India, I am greatful to Almighty that there are organisations like these who are brave and empathatic enough to stand for them and help them, when 'modern' India is unashamedly brushing the issue under the carpet for as long as they can!

What a privilege to be a part of the freedom of a suppressed people group! For thousands of years, they have felt devalued and oppressed and finally an organization has stepped up to speak out for their value as human beings with a strategy to bring them into freedom. And with that... some day, the beautiful country of India will be a better place, a more whole place, as a result.

I first hear about the Dalit freedom network on the radio, and was deeply moved by the stories I heard of the horrific way in which the dalits are treated. Although the caste system was supposedly banned, dalits are still discriminated against, especially in the more rural regions of India. DFN's sponsorship progran is especially meaningful to me. Just looking through the pictures of the thousands of dailt children brought tears to my eyes; they are no different than the many other children in India, and yet they are so poorly treated. I would strongly reccomend the sponsorship program. With just 28 dollars per month, you will change a dailt child's life by supplying them with the educationg they need to fight against discrimination!

I was able to see the fruit of this ministry for myself and was very impressed and encouraged. After my visit our church formalized a partnership with DFN to fuel their work of serving the Dalits.

Outstanding Organization! Knowing I have a direct impact on a childs education and other various needs through DFN gives me great satisfaction. Both of the children I have sponsored have become very personal to me and my family and the follow up we receive from DFN letting us know how our sponsored child is doing is school is wonderful!

I heard about the Dalit Freedom Network through my church. This organization educated us on the need of sponsorships so that children (the very poor in India) may be educated. The Dalit Freedom Network provides safe schools where English is taught to the children, where they also incorporate the goodness of God. If we all helped educate children around the world, we can help remove poverty from this earth. I have been very pleased with the way the Dalit Freedom Network helps the children and their families. I will pray for their continued success.

We heard about DFN through a missionnary in the church who had witnessed their work among the Dalit in India. We were deeply touched by his experience and decided to help build a school as we were ourselves trying to raise money for a new church building. It has been so encouraging to see how the DFN makes a difference in the lives of the Dalit population and I hope they will continue to do so in the future.

We learned about the Dalit Freedom Network originally through our church partnership/sponsorship of several schools in India to provide education to the Dalit children. We love the work DFN is doing in India to stop the atrocity of the caste system there... providing these children and their families the training and education to free them from the cruel position forced on them by their society. To support these children each month provides the necessary funds to continue this important work and the Dalit Freedom Network has been very accountable in keeping us in touch with our sponsored children and getting us timely receipts. We are greatful to be a small part of this humanitarian work going on in India.

I am very impressed with Dalit Freedom Network - their passion and energy for the Dalit people, accountability to donors, frequent and creative communication with their supporters, regular letters from sponsored children, along with photos and updates from the schools. I highly recommend this organization.

I'd say this was one of the more disappointing experiences I've had as a donor and an advocate. The events I attended were well organized and really inspirational, but then I received almost no follow up. I made a second attempt to reach out to be involved because I really believed in the cause. I called the organization and one of the staffers worked with me to plan an event at my home so I could invite my friends, neighbors, church people to learn about the Dalits. She had a lot of great ideas, but it seems like the "higher ups" were always saying "NO." She wasn't able to follow through on some of the ideas and it just wasn't her fault. I appreciated her effort. So in general they seem pretty disorganized/dysfunctional on the U.S. side. The only connection I had to India was through my sponsored child so I didn't really get a sense of the organizational politics on that side of the ocean.

well i hv been in touch with dalit network for the past four years by sponsoring a girl child from rural india. well i get bi annual reports of the childs progress, a letter written by the child, and they also provide for meeting the child. their team in usa has been so friendly. whenever in case of troubleshooting in payment problems etc.

In the DFN, Health Initiative is run by the OMIF and I had a time to visit the work in the nearby slums in Hyderabad, (A.P) India. I could see the work that many people had come for medical treatment. The people who came are dalits and are daily wage workers who get about 50 to a dollar for their hard work.Their low wages deprive them to good and proper health care. So this is where the Health Initiative Department steps in as a facilitator so they can be health once again.

Dalit Freedom Network is a great organization. I sponsored a child for 4 years that really touched my heart. Through DFN, they provided me with updated information, pictures, and even letters with colored pictures from my little Meera and Bihmala. I was able to stay connected with my girls and write to them. I was also able to work closely with DFN to plan an event for my college campus. Unfortunately the event fell through on my end but they were excellent staff to work with. Their heart for India is simply astonishing. I highly recommend them to everyone to donate their money, time, and resources to help little girls attend school like my little Meera.

We first heard of this organization through our church. We have had a heart for human trafficing for years after becoming aware through a guest speaker. The DFN gave us an opportunity to actual do something by sponsoring a child to give him a hope of a better life that has not been given to him by his country. The courageous spirit of DFN to "ABOLISH" rather than "help lessen the numbers" of human trafficing is something we want to stand behind and be a part of. This is the meaning and mindset of a true warrior!

We have been working in OM India many years ago and kept contact all these years, also by several visits. After attending a conference at OM base in Hyderabad in 2005 we were impressed by the opportunities there are to help Dalit communities and the commitment of Indian friends to start 100 schools for Dalit children. We returned to Sweden and started sponsorship program for Dalit children. We have now 110 children fully sponsored. The advocacy program of DFN is also of much importance and this autumn we are part of starting Dalit Freedom Network Sweden for advocay, information and support.

I have felt a call in the past year to become involved with an organization that seeks justice for oppressed people. The Dalit Freedom Networks wants to see the Dalit-Bahujan people freed from oppression as they are considered the outcast and untouchables of Indian society. I had the opportunity to see the results of the DFN model of community transformation of the 4 fold model of education, medical support, economic development, and human rights advocacy. Through the DFN, Dalits have a partner to help them be a voice for the voiceless.

DFN reaches out to those who are despised by their own culture, and thoughtfully, efficiently, and effectively breaks detrimental cultural barriers and therefore leads individuals to a life where they understand they are made in the image of Christ and are neither above nor below anyone.

My husband had the privilege to see a DFN school in India earlier this year and meet the teachers and children. He was very impressed with what he saw. The Dalit Freedom Network is providing quality education for the underprivileged children of India. In addition to building schools, they provide financial assistance to the children via sponsorships, so the families do not have to pay for their education. The education is provided in English, which gives the children a unique chance to move up in society upon graduation and provide adequately for their families in the future. DFN is to be recommending for their effort to change lives and communities in this way.

For several years, we have supported a young Dalit girl. DFN has kept us informed on her progress and the progress of their ministry. We often receive letters from this precious girl and are able to write to her also. DFN has allowed us to impact a life for Christ that we otherwise would have been unable to do. I appreciate this ministry's approach to providing for the whole person. Not only do they share Christ's love, but they are also His hands. DFN provides an education which will equip these children to better their lives and the lives of their families. I am very privileged to be allowed to be a part of this work.

For more than a couple of years we have been supporting the work of Dalit Freedom Network. Our highlight, among others, it's the peace and joy we have knowing the money we send is going to the right way and to the right use, compering with other non profit organisations.

This organization has been one of my more worthwhile commitments as to charitable organizations. To support a cause which not only brings education to children to raise them up to more hopeful futures but also speaks to the oppression of the Dalit people as a whole makes this an easy choice for me.

I had been a regular sponsor to DFN until recently.I have wittnessed myself personally the changes it has brought to many dalit's life back in India.Also in the international scenario, DFN is such an active organisation to highlight & fight for the cause of Dalits.It's purely a Gods' job they do as good samaritans in the lovely land of India.

Tell your story here and help others understand this charity This organization has a wonderful plan to educate and train not only children, but also women. Many of these women are learning English, computer skills and sewing skills. It is great organization with a great vision to end the plight of these "untouchables".

Beautiful cause, beautiful people. The work DFN's partner organizations are doing is righteous and necessary. The work DFN is doing has been seriously impeded by a dismissal of the entire staff for suspicious reasons. It was heartbreaking to see so many dedicated people let go for the agenda of a leader who had no idea how to lead her staff. It was also heartbreaking to see the founder and a very selfless man and phenomenal leader brought on to replace her both let go for suspicious reasons. Knowing that almost everyone- from staff to management to volunteers- is supposedly Christian (when it is convenient to be Christian) makes this all the more difficult. There have been 5 leaders/ sets of leadership in 4 years. The staff turnover is incredibly high. The most recent management is indifferent at best to volunteers. Again, they are doing an incredibly necessary and very noble thing to address caste issues and work to end caste discrimination, but lately, the changes in leadership, mistreatment of the staff and questionable financial transparency has made me re-direct my money elsewhere. Discontinuing sponsorship of my child was incredibly difficult, but I'm fairly certain my money wasn't making it to India anyway.

I have been involved with DFN for several years now. My husband and I sponsor a child and are very involved in the movement. We have been very blessed to be a part of DFN and find the organization, and it's current staff, to be extremely humble. They truly know it is God's heart to free the Dalit's, and are priviledged to be called to work with DFN. The organization operates with an incredible high standard for financial integrity. I do not have any concerns that our money is being used in the most effective way that will assist the schools in India.

I strongly believe in the work of DFN. I have spent time with board members, regional directors, and sent staff to visit their schools in India. I serve as a pastor in NYC and we send teams to work with DFN. We have been very impressed. What DFN is accomplishing to be flourishing to one of the most oppressed peoples of our day is astounding and good for all of India.

I have been a financial supporter and volunteer with DFN since its inception. In my mind, there is no better organization meeting the needs of at rick kids in India, than DFN. DFN's partnership with OM India affords them an amazing opportunity to be involved with providing the best quality English medium education for the lowest cast of India kids, the Dalits. This gives these kids the one chance they'll have to break out of the caste system and improve their lives. This is a great place to invest your finances and your time. Gene Kissinger

Several years ago, the Christian band Caedman's Call gave a concert at our church and promoted the work of the Dalit Freedom Network. Before that time, I had no knowledge whatsoever of the plight of the Dalit community and children in India. I was astounded that so many people - amounting to a number approximately two-thirds the population of the USA - were oppressed and discriminated against in the way that they are - even today. Since then I have followed the work that the DFN has been doing, watching their awareness campaigns and admired the work that they are doing building schools for Dalit children. This is one of the great unknown human rights issues of our time and the DFN has helped bring the story to the front pages of the major US news outlets. But there is more to be done, because not only are people in denial that the discrimination exists, but it is evident within the Christian Church as well as the Hindu community and it has spread to Indian communities in other parts of the world. Governments in the west continue to court India as a partner and, at the same time, refuse to address the human rights issue and link it to aid. Thank God for the DFN and especially the work they are doing to empower the next generation.

I currently sponsor a young girl through the Dalit Freedom Network (4 years). I regularly receive in the mail hand-written letters and pictures drawn by my girl. It is THRILLING to read her letters to me and it allows me to know her on a personal level (her school grades, her daily life, her hobbies). Through this correspondence, I have been able to watch the progress and transformation of this young girl's English written skills and creative abilities. It is always a special moment when I hold her letters and pictures in my hands. I want to bring attention to the great administration of the Dalit Freedom Network. It is professional, personal and flawless. For example, I lived in Canada when I first signed up to sponsor a Dalit Freedom child. I contacted the Canadian Dalit Freedom Network and advised them that I was moving to the USA. They contacted the USA Dalit Freedom Network and arranged the transfer of my sponsored child's file. I was (and still am) thrilled that I was able to retain my same little girl, even across borders. Within 48 hours I had an email from the USA Dalit Freedom office, confirming the transfer of the file. The transfer was seamless. I value customer service and I can easily say the Dalit Freedom's customer service is unmatched. It is top-notch at both the Canadian and American offices. It is evident the Dalit Freedom Network strives for excellence in their work, in the management of (my) funds and in their daily service. Their positive impact spans from my little girl's home in India, to the classroom, to North America, to my home in the USA where it touches my heart.

DFN is GREAT! I’m appalled by some of the negative reviews. There is no other organization helping India’s Dalits like this. Giving the children an English education, bringing health care to Dalit communities, and the economic empowerment to the poorest people in that country. They’ve established 100 schools and 25,000 children are being educated in them. India’s kids are the most at risk kids in the world—Kids live in discarded sewer pipes; kids live in villages where rats are the primary diet; kids are so hungry, they die before they turn 5; kids whose parents are slaves. DFN is saving Dalit children. Look at the faces in their headers; these are happy children. Look at these results. This is the best hope that 250 million Dalits have. Get on board, America!

I'm part of 3 international impact teams. The needs these dalit kids have is 2nd to none I've seen anywhere in the world. What this organization is doing is great. One reason is because there are very few resources to help these kids in India. When you see kids with literally nothing, having gone through unspeakable hardships & they're still smiling, it's a real blessing.

As the lowest caste, the Dalit people still suffer at the hands of others. By providing education and support for the children, and therefore the family, the possibilities for a very different future are put in place. Our small contribution will make a way for this child to climb out of the deep pit caste prejudice has put him into. Our child writes to us twice a year, and we get progress reports, with drawings. They are a joy to read.

The Dalit Freedom Network does not only give help but trains people to help themselves. They have made an incredible difference in the lives of children by offering a great education which enables them to not only get jobs but also allows them to change their families situations.

Solid non-profit that has high goals, but goes at it step by step. They truly have huge hearts for the Dalit.

As a regular donor to the Dalit Freedom Network, I firmly stand behind the services this organization offers to Dalits, one of the most oppressed people groups on the globe. I especially enjoy the personal communication with my sponsored children through handwritten letters.

The Dalit Freedom Network is the best organization I found, and a friend with much experience with Dalits recommended, that works with Dalits to meet their needs. They are an excellent organization, and always professional in every communication I have had with them. I certainly recommend them!

I volunteered a few times in the Denver office and have sponsored a child for several years now. I used to be very impressed with this organization, but I've recently heard that things have changed. So at this point, I'm not sure what I think.

The DFN has a big vision ... to emancipate the 250M Dalit (untouchables) in India from 3000 years of bondage at the bottom of the caste system. The orgn is well managed by passionate mgmt, staff and volunteers. The vision is for community transformation beginning with the education of the children, women's empowerment, communty health, and economic development. I was part of a DFN medical team that responded to the devastation caused by the December 2004 tsunami and later returned to one of the villages where our community is now in the 4th year of sponsorship of the new school that was built with funds raised in our community. There are now 177 children enrolled in K thru 4 grades. We are committed to the full program of K thru 10 for the school as well as the other phases of community transformation. This is, for us, a long-term commitment! DFN is similarly in it for the long haul. Without the organization and in-country oversight provided through the India Group of OM Ministries, it would be very difficult to carry out such a challenging and visionary program.

I discovered DFN after traveling to India and becoming passionate about the issues involved in the struggle of the Dalits. I sponsored a child through their program and also volunteered frequently in the Denver office stuffing envelopes and helping out however necessary. While the causes which they espouse are admirable and certainly important, the practice and methodology of the current management are flawed at best and incompetent at worst. Through volunteering I came to know and appreciate the passionate hardworking dedicated staff in Denver who truly made the organization come alive. I saw each and every one of these individuals systematically disrespected and taken advantage of by an unprofessional management, a practice which undermined the health and stability of the organization and which I know for a fact has deeply damaged their efforts to help the Dalits of India. This culminated in the letting go of nearly the entire experienced staff with little or no gratitude shown for their service, and almost no attention paid to ensuring a smooth transition until new staff could be trained. In addition, because management did not keep within a strict budget the money given to them rarely made it to their Indian counterparts, a fact which is denied on their website but which was well-known amongst the staff. Furthermore, as a person of faith I felt my intelligence repeatedly insulted by DFN's attitude towards it's own (explicit within the organization but not outside of it) faith-based orientation. I witnessed management instructing staff to explicitly present themselves in one way to churches and a radically different way to "secular" audiences - a difference not only of marketing but of direct deception. They have one set of marketing materials which play up their religious basis in order to get money from the religious, and one set which stifles completely their religious basis to get money from the non-religious. If this organization wants to be non-religious then it should hold to that strongly, and if it wants to be faith-based, then it should do so without shame. DFN's marketing has a strong double standard which I find embarrassing and morally suspect. Because of these reasons I am forced to say that DFN as an organization lost both my respect and my financial support. I have no confidence whatsoever that money given to them will actually make an impact on the lives of the Dalits. I strongly discourage you from donating to DFN and, if you are passionate about India, encourage you to look elsewhere.

DFN has been at the heart of my work as a nurse since 2007. I currently volunteer in India and see first hand the amazing work DFN is doing within the education system of India. I see many happy faces of both children and their parents. As a health consultant I also am blessed to assist in the health care of the children. They are receiving medical care and teaching as well as an English medium education because of the concern of DFN. I have sponsored a child since 2007 and feel blessed to be involved in that way. I have encouraged many friends to support children so that they may provide for the education of more children and be blessed themselves as well.

My family has had the privilege of dealing with the Dalit Freedom Network for several years and have seen the amazing work that they do to help support and educate the Dalit people and children. This non-profit organization is truly making a difference in the lives of thousands of children by providing them with an opportunity to attend a school and get an education that can better their and their families lives. This is an organization that is helping to free the dalit people and children through a quality education. Dave Howard

We are sponsoring a child at one of the Dalit Freedom Network schools. We feel so blessed to participate in providing this young boy with a quality education. Our part seems relatively small compared to the dedicated teachers and staff who work with the children each day to teach them. Besides making a positive impact on this young boy, the school also impacts the family of the boy and the local community. The education that Dalit Freedom Network is providing is available to all of the children in the community. Along with the solid education, they are also helping each of the children to see their incredible value as individuals. This is so important in a culture where the Dalit people have been seen as lower than animals for ages. We are pleased to be able to support the work of Dalit Freedom Network. We encourage others to join in this wonderful effort. Bob Orlowski

I have been a believer in the Dalit Freedom Network since learning of it several years ago. Joseph D'Souza spoke eloquently of a dream to break the centuries old influence of caste on the 200+ million Dalits. He spoke of his work with the Dalit leaders to assure them their voices would be heard. He spoke of a need for education to provide a way up to these precious people. He spoke of their shocking plight. DFN has helped bridged the gap between that spoken dream and reality. DFN has provided a vehicle by which those who wish to help may contribute and see tangible results. Schools are being built across India to offer free high quality English education to Dalit children. I was able to see some of these schools in person and see the hope that education and women empowerment is offering to hundreds of Dalit families. I have found DFN people to be caring, helpful and full of vision. I strongly endorse this organization.

I gave a presentation about the Dalits of India to a group of 100 students. Dalit Freedom Network provides resources for people like me who are interested in social justice and who need tools to communicate the plight of oppressed peoples and ways in which average North Americans can help. Their work to provide care, education, and advocacy for the Dalits is excellent.

I had the privilege of visiting a school in 2007 and spent a week working with the children there. To look into their faces and see their joy at this opportunity for an education was remarkable. The children were working hard to learn, and teachers to teach, with a bare minimum of materials. Still, they progressed. This school also had sewing machines and teachers to teach adult women to sew so they have a viable income source. To see how much is being accomplished with so little was astonishing.

I have been supporting three Dalit children for several years. Three years ago I had the privilege of going to India and visiting the school where the children I support attend. I talked with their teachers and the children talked with me in very good English. I met mothers of other children attending the school and saw how proud they are of their children's accomplishments. I am totally in awe of what is being done to educate these children and how they now have hope for a bright future,thereby also giving their parents hope.

In October 2008 I was privileged to travel to India and tour 2 of the DFN schools.Knowing the history of the nation and hearing the stories of several families plight to get out of the bondage of poverty, it was pure joy to see how the children and their families lives are being changed forever. The work that the nationals are doing through the financial gifts of others is heartwarming and inspirational! I highly recommend Dalit Freedom Network as a worthwhile Non profit organization and a leader in the fight against world poverty! These schools are making a difference in the lives of countless children and the nation of India.

I had the pleasure of working with Dalit Freedom Network in 2008, on a medical relief trip to Ahmedpur and Dallapur villages in Uttar Pradesh. During the trip, we also visited 2 schools set up by DFN for the local villages in that area. In my experience, DFN has been one of the best organized nonprofits I have encountered. They make a tremendoud impact in the lives of children otherwise doomed by the situation of their birth to be uneducated and relegated to living conditions and healthcare from centuries ago. Prior to the trip we were well prepared for the work we would do. DFN provided us the tools we needed to make an impact, and organized a small team to be able to make an impact for literally thousands of villagers who had the opportunity to meet with doctors. Moreover, they have an ongoing impact in teaching the precious children in the Dalit villages, giving them not only a solid education in math and science, but doing so in an English medium, allowing those children access to the growing demand for English-speaking employees in India. From months before the trip to debriefing after, DFN was professional, organized, and prepared. I heartily support them and their efforts, and hope to travel again with them in the future.

Dalit are a 200-million-strong group of people struggling to break free of the centuries-old chains of subjugation, discrimination and persecution. Dalit Freedom Network is doing a great job toward the goal of the emancipation of the Dalit in India and, worldwide. I am proud of being a member of Dalit Freedom Network. DFN has a physical presence in the field and it's substantive, productive efforts hold the promise of an emancipated future for the Dalit. Following is the article I mentioned above. Indian Middle Class Crushes Dalit, Poor Posted: May 4, 2009 Mon 06:40 pm Views: 625 Interacts: 6 India Crushes Dalit, Poor A Middle Class Conspiracy Syed F. Hussaini After gaining independence, the Indian middle class worked hard to keep the poor and the untouchable what they were: Poor and untouchable. It was a conscious, deliberate, premeditated, well-thought-after, well-planned and effectively-executed successful effort to stop the transition of the poor and the untouchable into the middle class of the independent India. The Indian middle class was, and is, obsessed with the caste system. It is not just the Hindus but followers of almost all the religions in India who can not swallow and digest the idea of an untouchable standing next to them as an equal. The Indian middle class is a peculiar one in the sense that despite being educated and apparently liberal, it carries a colossal hangover from its religious caste system and in many ways is rigidly conservative. It lives in perpetual denial, constant self-deception and a black-hole of lies. Caught in the crossfire of two entirely different cultures, two different languages and two different explanations of the concept of the right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, the English-speaking member of the Indian middle class simply refuses to discuss the injustices of the Indian society. He would rather talk about the flaws in the Western societies than talk about the untouchable and their misery. It is a matter of belief. A touchable comes in physical contact with an untouchable and the touchable's dharam would go bhrisht. That means he would lose his religion. Now, he would have to go through a long and expensive ritual to cleanse himself and still live with the traumatic memory of that disgusting and terrifying experience of touching an untouchable. It does not matter how rich an untouchable becomes. A touchable can not drink from the glass an untouchable drank from. The touchable can not even touch the glass used by an untouchable. From now on, it is exclusively that untouchable's glass. Well, other untouchables can use it. The touchable who do not want to lose a glass may choose to pour water on the shallow cup the untouchable would make by putting his two palms together to drink water from it. The untouchable can not sit next to the touchable in the class. For that purpose, the crusade of the middle-class Indian begins at the gates of the school. Do not let the untouchable enroll at the school. For that purpose, keep the untouchable hungry. A hungry man does not think of school. He thinks of food and food only. Just keeping the untouchable hungry is not enough. He should live in filth; generally in a secluded ghetto outside the town or the village surrounded by the sewage water coming out of the homes of the good people. The stench of the raw sewage is what the untouchable belongs to. It is a great tool to keep the untouchable's mind numb and the will completely shattered. The caste system does something strange to the members of the society practicing it. They take it for granted. It is accepted as destiny or, fate, by both the untouchable and the touchable. When it comes to the issues related to the untouchable, it makes the touchable cruel, callous, insensitive and outright heartless. It renders the untouchable spiritless, hopeless, timid, shy, submissive, defeated, resigned to fact, fearful and devoid of any initiative on top of being hungry, half naked and illiterate. There are codes, oral and written, social, cultural and religious, about how to keep the untouchable in check. Do not give an untouchable more than 10 ounces of coarse grain like barley or millet a day. He can not and should not eat wheat. Wheat is for the people of the higher caste. It is ordained. The untouchable can not and should not eat butter oil unless he wants to fry some poisonous seeds in butter oil and eat them. It is ordained. If an untouchable lays his eyes on gold, he should be blinded. It is ordained. If an untouchable hears the sacred words of the Vedas, molten lead should be poured into his ears. It is ordained. The good people of India defecate in the privacy of toilets set by the outer walls of their homes. The concrete or, red brick commodes collect the human refuse which stays there until the next morning when the shit-man or the shit-woman comes in to collect it in a bucket and hauls it away. This was a caste created exclusively to provide this ugly service for the Indian society may be a thousand or more years ago. It would certainly need an imagination to guess what brutality and cunning would have been employed by the then fabled ruling classes of the beautiful, majestic India to relegate a whole group of people to such a low social status for generations to come. The Hindu caste system is so deeply entrenched in the Indian society and culture that it determines the social behavior of not only the Hindu people but of the followers of other religions, as well. It is not just a Hindu of an upper caste who would feel disgust and utter discomfort by coming in physical contact with an untouchable. A Muslim in Pakistan or Bangladesh feels the same way about coming in physical contact with an untouchable. Raping a dalit woman, however, does not contaminate the religion of a member of an upper caste. In this environment of complete segregation of the untouchable from the rest of the society the members of the upper caste get very uncomfortable with the idea of any emancipation of the untouchable because such an emancipation may lead to a situation where an untouchable may manage to sneak into the world of the privileged caste. An example would be an untouchable becoming rich enough to check into the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai. It would cause a good Hindu or Muslim staying in that hotel enough emotional stress to ruin his day. It would be a very discomforting situation; sharing the same roof with an untouchable, walking the same hallways with the untouchable right behind or in front of him, dining in the same china the untouchable may have used an hour ago. The untouchable would be looking at the pretty women of the higher caste and then there is the ultimate nightmare that one of these women herself might find the rich untouchable attractive enough to go out with him. It is Apocalypse, now. Pundit Jawahirla'l Nehru, the first prime minister of India, was a thoroughbred Brahman and a very intelligent protector of the Indian caste system. He was smart beyond imagination. Through Indian National Congress, the Indian middle class had managed to unite, had become a political force and had realized that the purpose of its dominance and survival in India would be effectively served by democracy. Through democracy, the Indian middle class, after independence in 1947, became the sole ruler of the country gaining complete control over the spending of the union government revenue. At the time of independence, the Indian middle class, represented by the Indian National Congress, was obsessed with a single thought: To take over complete control of the state by eliminating competing quarters of the society and thus becoming the sole power block in the national politics ultimately achieving the objective of keeping the untouchable and the poor utterly subjugated and beneath the upper castes and the rich as long as possible. After independence, the Indian National Congress consciously and successfully curtailed the power and influence of the upper class industrialists, zamindars (feudal lords) and the filthy rich rulers of the princely states. It was a war on three fronts the leadership of the ruling Indian National Congress pursued aggressively and succeeded in achieving the ultimate dominance of the middle class in India. Pundit Nehru attacked the three powerful quarters of the Indian society one after the other, robbed them of their financial resources and rendered them powerless in the first few years after the independence. The industrialists, the maharajahs and the zamindars were neutralized with various laws and policies which would not only make the middle class the unchallenged ruler of the country but would greatly limit the chances of any emancipation of the untouchable and the poor. Nehru remained the prime minister of India for 17 years, till his death. He created the Nehru dynasty. His grandson's widow is the head of the ruling Indian National Congress. His great-grandson is getting in gear to become the prime minister of India. Nehru's untouchable sweeper's great-grandson is busy cleaning the marbled toilets of the Gandhis. Jai Hind. The Zamindari Abolition Act of India eliminated the feudal lords as a class. It was a fairly large class with massive incomes from their large land holdings. With their immense resources and money, these zamindars would have easily secured enough seats in the parliament to become a threat to the rule of the Indian National Congress. It happened so in the neighboring Pakistan, where despite decades of military rule, every election returns the same rich zamindars to the parliament just because the zamindari system was never abolished there. However, in India, this zamindar class lost its lands to the Zamindari Abolition Act and thus their fabulous incomes. To survive, they flocked to the academic institutions, turned technocrats, in some cases bureaucrats and in many cases fled the country. Many of these zamindars were not even that lucky. Some slipped into middle class and some wound up dead poor in due course of time as the money ran out. The annexation of thousands of the princely states into the Indian Union robbed the maharajah and his family of the political influence they may have brought into play in the national or local elections. This was a small but very interesting class. Generally, it was known for its legendary wealth, its storied extravagance and luscious escapades but was also acknowledged for its generosity, philanthropy, sportsmanship and eccentricity. Competing with their British overlords, these maharajahs built hospitals, schools, universities, roadways and sanitation departments in their large and small domains. They would grant scholarships to bright students to go to England or, the U.S. for further studies. One such ruler of a small princely state sent Bhimraj Ramji Sakes, an untouchable, to Columbia University for further studies. The untouchable came home with a doctorate. It was a shame. It was a disgrace. It was infamy. Gandhi did not have a doctorate. Nehru did not have a doctorate. Mohammad Ali Jinnah did not have a doctorate. It is regarded as scandalous in India that a member of one of the lowliest caste gets himself educated better than the national leaders of the higher caste. And it was the doing of that eccentric ruler of that princely state that this misfortune had befallen the upper castes of India. The socialist Pundit Jawahirla'l Nehru's rich barrister father Pundit Motila'l Nehru never gave a dime for the education of any untouchable. Another rajah of another princely state was so impressed with the achievements of this Ph.D. untouchable that he invited him to dinner at his palace. India erupted in an uproar of protest. Now, this story is a study in understanding the Indian mind. It was the rajah's invitation, his palace, his dining chamber, his dining table, his china, his silverware, his food and his guest. What exactly any Indian whomsoever had to do with a dinner between a host and a guest? But then it was an untouchable who was the guest at the high caste rajah's palace. The scripture said don't give the untouchable more than 10 ounces a day of coarse grain to eat. The rajah, by dining with this untouchable, had offended all the good Indians. Nehru had to avenge these multiple insults on behalf of the higher-caste Indian middle class. He had to punish the rajahs, all the rajahs, and he had to punish the insolent untouchable, all the untouchable. Nehru annexed all the princely states into the Indian Union territory. Now, there would be no rajah to send an untouchable to Columbia or, to invite him to dinner. For a while, there would be no untouchable, especially as eminent as this particular one, to criticize and challenge Gandhi, Nehru or, the Indian National Congress for that matter. To punish the Ph. D. untouchable, Nehru robbed him of his credibility among his low-caste people by making him the law minister. Nehru put him on the panel writing the constitution of the newly-independent India. He made this untouchable a member of the Rajia Sabha, the Indian House of Lords. The Ph. D. untouchable, himself, topped it off by marrying a Brahman woman. Co-opting this one arrogant, rebellious and outspoken untouchable and making him a partner in his devious designs, the touchable Nehru punished all the untouchables of India and sealed their fate by confining them to their ghettos for generations to come. The population of the poor has exploded to 825 million at the beginning of 2009 from 200 million at the time of independence. That is a more than four-fold increase in the number of the poor in about 62 years. The shudr, shudra, sudra, untouchable, harijan, dalit, scheduled caste, no matter what they may call them, are approximately 20 per cent of the population of India. Pundit Nehru, after making prime minister, declared that he would pursue a socialistic policy in the country. With this tool, Nehru neutralized the industrialists by severely restricting industrialization through a system of hard to come by permits and by declaring certain sectors of industry off limits to the private sector. Nehru's pseudo-socialist policies were intended to keep the pace of the industrialization of the country at a minimal pace. To attack the industrialist and to contain the untouchable and the poor, Nehru declared himself a socialist and vowed to practice his version of socialism intended solely to stall the industrial development of the country. If the industrialization of the country was left unchecked, it would create too many jobs. It would provide the untouchable and the poor an opportunity to leave their hovels and move to where the industry was. The untouchable and the poor would have a job. They would eat better, live better, learn better and their next generation would then do still better and join the middle class, the sacred middle class of India, represented by the Brahman Pundit Nehru. With Nehru's brand of ill-motived socialism, the industrial development in India, in the private sector, came to a grinding halt. The industrialist was forbidden to set up plants or start operations in various sectors of the Indian economy. Mining, power generation, banking, heavy industry, aircraft manufacturing and many other industries were declared the exclusive domain of the state monopoly. With the independence, the minuscule, but rising industrialist class was straight-jacketed and lost its freedom to do business in the Brahman Nehru's domain. It was a stroke of genius. The industry in the private sector would not generate much jobs. The upper-caste, middle-class bureaucrat running the state-owned factory could easily screen out the untouchable and the poor from getting a job. The untouchable would be hired only to clean the gutters or, as the sweeper at the factory and its workers' colony. He would be given the smallest company-built single-room quarter at the farthest end of the workers' colony. His job would be the lowest-paid position in the company. The untouchable would not be hired to be a helper at the plant or as the office boy, the next two entry-level, lowest-paid jobs. These jobs would go to the upper-caste poor. The upper-caste bureaucrat occupying the office of the general manager of the state-owned factory could not even think of being served a cup of tea by an untouchable office boy. It would be a sin. It would be sacrilege. For that general manager, it would be plain disgusting. The industrialist, at his privately-owned factory, would not have cared much about the feelings of his caste-conscious managers or, workers. He would have hired any labor as long as it came cheap. The industrialist would have hired the most-competent, the most-skilled, the most-experienced labor even if it was the untouchable. Not that the filthy rich industrialist was a liberal hippie but that he himself was safe in his mansion and away from that untouchable. He did not care if his pious managers lost their religion by drinking tea served by an untouchable. By limiting the industrialization of India, Nehru not only effectively stopped the industrialist class from expanding and ever becoming a political threat to the dominance of the middle class, but he also eliminated the chances of the untouchable and the poor of ever coming out of the ghetto. Nehru's stroke of genius made sure the untouchable remained the untouchable despite the constitutional guarantees the Ph.D. untouchable member of the constitution panel had managed to insert into the document. The curbs on the private-sector industry were to remain so until 1991 when the the Indian middle class realized that it needed private-sector industrialization to provide jobs to its children who were coming of age and for whom the ill-performing public-sector industry did not have enough jobs. By now, the number of the miserable untouchable and the poor in India had risen so much that a slight change in the numbers would not alter the ratio if a few untouchable and the poor got a few jobs at the private-sector industry. The political dominance of the middle class was firm. Its control over the spending of the union government revenue was to remain unchallenged the way it was in the beginning. Through indirect taxation, the Indian union collected immense amounts of revenue every year. This money was meant to be spent on national development not on the development of any particular class. At independence, more than half the population lived below the poverty line. These poor included the untouchables, as well. This vast lot was spread across India in tiny villages, small and large towns and big cities. They needed clean drinking water, basic health care, public toilets, sanitation networks, sewerage systems with sewage water treatment plants, schools, roads and the protection of the law against persecution from the rich and the upper caste. They were not going to get any of these amenities at the scale the union government was collecting the revenue. The clever middle-class leadership of the Indian National Congress was not going to lend a hand to these wretched creatures come out of the gutter they lived in. Nehru and his cohorts found ways to squander this huge pile of national money so that it did not benefit the poor and the untouchable in any way, whatsoever. A bogeyman of security threat was created by the Indian leadership and a huge chunk of the national budget went to the so-called national defense. Adjusted for inflation, over 62 years, close to two trillion dollars were wasted to build the armed forces of a country which was crumbling from within and where the majority of the population sustained life-long malnutrition. The poor and the untouchable could not benefit from these two trillion dollars. Through the quarter-master general, all the military supply contracts wound up in the hands of the middle-class businessman. The big-time weapons-purchase programs were handled by the top politicians who got their cut anyway. To stop the flow of the union revenue toward the poor and the untouchable, the Indian leadership launched laughable projects. Nuclear technology, nuclear-weapons technology, rocket technology. The members of the middle class again landed good jobs at these government projects and the poor went without clean drinking water in a country chasing heavy water. Nobody could dare criticize the national defense expenditure. It would amount to treason. The poor and the untouchable did not know what exactly the words nuclear reactor, nuclear weapon and space rocket meant. The poor did not know that these lofty projects were invented to work as dams to stop the national revenue from reaching them. With growling stomachs these ignorant poor clapped and cheered when the radio announced that India had tested a nuclear weapon and went to bed hungry quiet. The Indian industrialist has made a comeback and is busy buying the politicians like chicken by the crate. The Dalit and the poor, too, are destined to win over the criminal Indian middle class. chowk.com

I was amazed during my time in India at the dedication of the both the local Indians and the team from DFN who worked on this 2 week medical missions. They served humbly and wholeheartedly and nothing was too much trouble. During the medical clinics over 3500 people were treated free of charge. I was shocked at the poverty and conditions the Dalits presented with. For many Dalits this would be the only medical treatment they would receive that year. The children from the school helped with translation and you could see the difference the education centres had made in their lives. They were articulate, smiling, in clean uniform and looked well nourished when I compared them to the other Dalit children who were not in the school program. This is such a worthy cause and is breaking the chains of poverty, injustice and slavery in India.

We have supported 2 Dalit students for over 3 years and enjoy so much hearing from them via letters that we receive from 2-4 times a year. We enjoy the photos that are included so we can watch our students mature. It is especially satisfying to see the growth in these students and to watch their improving educational skills. Any time we have contacted DFN we have gotten responses that are swift and helpful. We are pleased to be a part of this worthy organization that is giving hope and education to so many who have been without hope for so long.

During my time with DFN in India, I was consistently impressed with their professionalism, commitment and the quality of education they provided to the children in their care. I financially support this organization and would highly recommend them to others. I hope to partner with them again in the future.

I donated money to this cause. The culture and the differences with American Culture make some people frustrated with this Orgaization but I tell you the Heart of this Org. Is sooooo Big and please be patient and make the suggestions in a kind way. the hope that these babies would not be sold off into slavery is a Great cause and we need to make their society and culture at least open tom,the idea. Keep doing your work it is of the God I understand It is in love and peace I see you working!

DFN has a great concept and potentially powerful mission. Unfortunately, their organization seems to be dysfunctional and from personal experience doesn't particularly care about it's staff/volunteers. I was donating to support one of their staff roles until I learned that most of my donation was going into the general fund for DFN 'earmarked' to eventually be paid to the staff member I was supporting. I tried to get through to senior executives at DFN several times to get the funds released without ever hearing back. I have since stopped donating to DFN and instead sent the money directly to the staff member who needed it to support themselves while they were working for DFN (since DFN wasn't paying a living wage). Quite frustrating to say the least.

DFN is a great way to support the Dalit people in India, who are the lowest members in the caste system. By providing for them spiritually, financially and educationally, DFN is working to give the Dalits freedom, justice, and human dignity. This is an amazing organization that continually strives to bring hope and love to the Dalits.

We love having part in providing an education and physical support for a needy child! I'm so glad that DFN connects us directly to individuals with needs, putting a name and a face on a problem we wouldn't think about very much otherwise. I have friends who have been to India in person and can attest to the fact that donor money is being used wisely and that lives are being changed through this organization.

I love that DFN is championing the cause of Dalit education and freedom both by direct involvement among the Dalits and advocation in the US. I witnessed first hand the impact of the schools the organization funds and develops on the children who are generally considered less than human in their communities. Educating these children is the first step in freeing them from a social system which damns them. Sponsoring a child gives them the opportunity to get off the street and into a nurturing classroom environment.

This Charity is amazing! 250 million people in poverty blows my mind, but even more so, no where else in the world is there this kind of oppression to this many people. Dalit Freedom Network builds, staffs and maintains their own schools and thus has full control over the quality of the English-medium education that these children are receiving. 100 schools with over 20,000 students, proves the success of what Dalit Freedom Network is doing. DFN is a Great Non-profit!

I love the comprehensive approach that DFN takes to meet the needs of the Dalits in India. I sponsor a precious little girl in the Marakanam school. In their schools, DFN provide an English language education for children, preparing them for further education after high school. The curriculum used is just as advanced as the one in our local school here in Colorado, but it is taught in English to kids for whom English is a second language. The school provides the books and the school supplies as well as uniforms for each child. At most schools a lunch is served to assure that each child has at least one meal each day. In addition the children receive medical attention from a community health worker sponsored by DFN. And their parents receive the opportunity to participate in economical development groups where they may receive a job skill or receive a micro-loan to enable them to start a micro-business. I have also been involved in fund raising for the school in Marakanam. We have raised funds to purchase land, build the building and to provide a school bus. The cost of those things is very small compared to what it would cost here. I have also gone on a medical trip sponsored by DFN where we have provided medical care to two communities where DFN education centers are located. The upper grade students served as translators and as helpers as we served the beautiful Indian people who came for medical care. I fully endorse the approach DFN has taken to assisting the Dalits in India. By educating the children, this oppressed people will in the future have opportunities for work and dignity and prosperity that is today denied to them.

The DFN is doing a great work to bring hope and a future to the most underprivileged kids in India. It doesn't cost much to support a child on a monthly basis. We have also initiated through our mission organization an opportunity for people to provide lunches for the children in the schools which might be the only real meal they receive and it is a well rounded, healthy meal. My husband has visited India and a village where Dalits live in discarded huge pipes and seen the kids as they head off to school in their uniforms with smiles on their faces. This is a great charity to support and truly make a difference in someone's life.

We support DFN in their mission to battle the suppression of the Dalits in India. We have sponsored a child, Ajay, for years and have seen him grow and learn about how to be a successful person more and more. We receive three to four letters each year and this year we even had a picture of his family! When I contact DFN, I get a quick response and information that I request right away. It is a shame we cannot communicate in the places in India where the Dalits live like we can here in the US. I will continue to support the DFN in their mission because they are doing a great job!

This is a great non-profit group that reaches the poorest of children in India that have no education. They provide hope for the Dalit people who are rejected. I sponsor a child to enable him to go to school and get an education that he would otherwise not have. I heard about the Dalit people through a presentaion at our Church. I am thankful I can help in a small way.

This is a wonderful charity addressing a need that churches need to be involved in. Many people do not know about the slavery and discrimination that still exists in India. We have an opportunity to change a child's life thru DFN, especially girls, who are the most mistreated.

The Dalit Freedom Network is a pioneer in educating Dalit Children in India. DFN sets up schools for the Dalits who would otherwise receive little or no education, because of their sub-human status in the caste system of India. Not only do these children receive a quality education, but DFN also teaches them they are not worthless, but children for whom our Lord Jesus suffered and died to redeem!

DFN is doing amazing work with organizations in India to help free Dalit people from their circumstances that bring them or force them into poverty, enslavement, and trafficking. I went on a group with DFN to serve and minister to the Dalit people group. I saw the schools being set up there and met amazing Indian people working for a common goal: to care for people, to love them, and to help them be freed from their oppression.

The Dalit Freedom Network has blessed my life by opening the opportunity for my family to sponsor a Dalit child. Receiving letters from our child as well as reports on how he is doing educationally has been such a blessing to us. Education is crucial as it will give these children opportunities in life they would never have otherwise.

This is a wonderful charity organization. It provides education for the children of untouchables (Dalits) in India. In addition, there are many selections of business and service opportunities for Dalit adults with a wide range of contribution categories. The personnel are wonderful in that they quickly answer any questions you may have. I have corresponded several times with a young woman in Colorado who is a liaison to the sponsorhip of the children. She has always provided me with answers.

DFN works with Indian partners to educate Dalit children and reverse their destiny of oppression, which is a key to community transformation. The mission of DFN is to empower the Dalits, at their request,for dignity by networking human, financial, and informational resources. This is a non-profit with strong financial accountability, a vital mission, and growing numbers of children being educated.

DFN is a phenomenal charity working to educate the Dalit children of India through English medium schools. They are freeing many Dalits from lives of slavery, oppression and poverty through the Dalit Education Centers. I highly recommend this organization. DFN speaks out against caste discrimination and helps children (and women) know their worth in the site of God.