One of the first ministries Harvest Bridge partnered with was Gypsy and Tribal Empowerment (GATE). Started in the south Indian city of Chennai by our partner Priya*, GATE reaches gypsy and tribal peoples with the Gospel and demonstrates Christ’s love through holistic community development initiatives. Gypsies and tribals, generally considered to be the lowest of the low castes in India’s social hierarchy, suffer from inadequate housing, low-paying jobs and poor nutrition. GATE’s work includes helping these communities exercise their civil rights – assisting them in accessing land, education, job training, government ID cards, proper water and electricity, and so forth.
Over 20 gypsy and tribal communities, consisting of about 2,000 households, are served through GATE’s 13 local missionaries and volunteers. GATE also works in one community of lepers, who are still stigmatized and separated from society in India, and in a community of HIV-positive patients and their families.
15 years ago, in these communities, the number of children in school could have been counted on one hand. Now, about 75% of the children attend school. When Priya launched GATE, virtually none of the gypsies or tribals were Christian. It took many years to see spiritual fruit begin to be borne, but since roughly 2018, hundreds of gypsies and tribals have professed faith in Christ.
*A pseudonym
Give directly to Gypsy and Tribal Empowerment:
pr
One of the first ministries Harvest Bridge partnered with was Gypsy and Tribal Empowerment (GATE). Started in the south Indian city of Chennai by our partner Priya*, GATE reaches gypsy and tribal peoples with the Gospel and demonstrates Christ’s love through holistic community development initiatives. Gypsies and tribals, generally considered to be the lowest of the low castes in India’s social hierarchy, suffer from inadequate housing, low-paying jobs and poor nutrition. GATE’s work includes helping these communities exercise their civil rights – assisting them in accessing land, education, job training, government ID cards, proper water and electricity, and so forth.
Over 20 gypsy and tribal communities, consisting of about 2,000 households, are served through GATE’s 13 local missionaries and volunteers. 15 years ago, in these communities, the number of children in school could have been counted on one hand. Now, about 75% of the children attend school. Since 2008, 70% of the people have professed faith in Christ in the three communities where GATE focuses the largest share of its efforts.
*A pseudonym
Give directly to the Gypsy and Tribal Empowerment fund:
pr
