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Dawas Ministries is ministering to the basic needs of homeless children in India and Nepal.
Dawas Ministries is a 501(c)3 non-profit that provides regular outreaches to homeless children and families in India and Nepal. There, children are fed, cherished, taught right and wrong, and given an opportunity to receive a practical education.
The key component of Dawas Ministries is our regular feeding shelters. At a feeding shelter, children who are homeless or living on the streets can come receive a free meal. Some children come back each day, while others are less predictable. During these meal times, we offer medical care, share how each child is valued and loved. Children, and adults through our outreaches, can receive an education or skill training. Children who are not under the care of parents or guardians also receive an opportunity to live in a foster home.
In addition to regular feeding shelters, Dawas Ministries also maintains several regular outreach programs. We’ve found that child homelessness is often the result of more complicated social and economical challenges. We don’t want to stop at feeding and caring for individual children, we strive to break the cycle of poverty and end child homelessness entirely. Through the following projects we hope to provide support for each member of the family and stop poverty at it’s source:
Dawa Bhutia, Founder of Dawas Ministries, was born and raised in India. Despite her father being a pastor, she lived a double-life, discontent, and feeling she had no purpose. It wasn’t until she was 25 years old that she received a revelation of God’s love for her. It was then that she made the decision to believe on Jesus and make Him the Lord and Savior of her life.
Two months later, Dawa was walking to work, when she noticed two boys carrying large bags, full of tins to sell, so they could buy food. She had never been concerned with the street children in India before. But, at that moment, God spoke to her saying, “I am calling you to them”. Not sure why, the Holy Spirit directed Dawa to go to a certain town center nearby. When she reached the middle of the center and stood there, seven kids came running to her and begged her saying, “give us food, give us food!” She didn’t have much money so she bought them each some noodles and gave them a few Gospel tracts she happened to have. She promised to meet them again. She told the boys to come back the next day too and Dawas Ministries was born!
But, as she was leaving, a new boy came with the group saying, “give me food too.” Since she didn’t have any more money and they were out of food, she welcomed him and gave him a Gospel tract. Now, more than 25 years later, that boy is a loving father and happens to serve as the pastor of a local church! Many others have also grown up to become healthy, educated, and functioning adults. Today, Dawas Ministries continues to feed and care for street children and meet the needs of many others through outreach programs. These children not only have their basic needs met, they are being empowered to escape poverty and break the cycle of child homelessness.
Dawa has since become a United States citizen allowing her to take Dawas Ministries to greater heights and minister to more children and families in both India and Nepal.
Naba Raj Singh was born and grew up in Nepal. He received his formal education in Nepal and earned an Associates in Business Administration from Pokhara Multiple Campus. Similarly, he earned a BA in Biblical Studies from University of the Nations and a MA in Global Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary.
Naba Raj Singh received an opportunity to know God early in his life and has been serving Him through Youth With A Mission (YWAM) for over three decades; in Nepal and overseas; mainly in the USA. He has had the privilege of serving others through teaching and as part of the leadership team at Dawas Ministries. Many of his responsibilities have involved teaching language to foreign missionaries and interpreting and translating materials.”
Susan Meiler was born and raised near Buffalo, New York. She has been a registered nurse since 1972. She served in the Navy for 3 years before joining the Army. Altogether, she is proud to have served her country for 25 years. During that time, Susan worked in general intensive cares, medical and surgical floors, Geriatrics, OB and public health.
Since she retired from the military, she has devoted her time to serving God in a variety of capacities. However, she is most excited about supporting Dawas Ministries, in the role of Secretary, and contributing insights and knowledge from her medical background.
As of April, 2023, India became the most populated nation in the world. India has ancient roots in hinduism and as a spice trade power, yet was under British imperial control until 1947. Still today, those events have created a stigma towards “western influence”. Many Indians want to regain their lost culture. However, since regaining their independence competing ideas of communism; from eastern neighbor China, and Sharia (Islamic Rule); from western neighbor Pakistan, have also begun competing for power in India. This concentration of diverse views, global population, natural resources, and geographic influence, have made India into a type of world arena where opposing governments and religions battle for power.
The unfortunate side-effect is that India has become a very difficult region to operate in benevolence. Kindness is often feared to have ulterior motives or to be a play to gain influence. As a result, many “western” charities or organizations have experienced severe persecution. Even organizations that many consider well-respected, such as Compassion International, have been barred from operating in India.
Dawas Ministries has also encountered significant persecution. In one altercation, after completing a feeding shelter outreach, a radical group targeted Dawa Bhutia and her team and had them arrested under fabricated charges. Recognizing the false allegations and corruption, one of the arresting police officers also imprisoned himself with the team until they were all released a week later.
Despite persecutions, threats, and limitations, Dawas Ministries boldly continues to care for the needs of homeless children and the disadvantaged in India and Nepal.
Approximately 70% of India’s population lives in rural areas with 54% dependent on agriculture for their living. Unfortunately, the drought rate in India has increased significantly – by 57% since 1997. From just 2020-2022 drought affected nearly two-thirds of the nation. In just the last 10 years, one-third of the country has experienced four droughts. That’s approximately 50,000,000 people every year who have been severely hindered from generating income or having food.
When these events occur, it is common for men to leave their families in search for food. Many young people sell their bodies just to make enough money to survive, and children often run away to the city only to find the world they hoped for doesn’t exist. In these communities, traffickers are perceived less as criminals and more as saviors because they bring the “hope” of provision and remove the “burden” of children.
The average adult in India has only 5 years of education, with 80% of the entire population living on just 200 rupees ($2.50) per day. So, children that do migrate to cities often find they can provide for themselves better through collecting cans, washing windows, and pick-pocketing than most adults. However, they must spend the money they earn the same day. If they try to save the money it is usually stolen by other kids, makes them a target to adult criminals, or is “confiscated” by police. Homeless and hungry children often join a sub-culture of “street boys” that do whatever it takes to get a little money and food each day so it can immediately be spent on entertainment, specifically video games, movies, and cheap “drugs”; sniffing glue, paint, or other inhalants. The most “successful” street boys often don’t know that using inhalants is dangerous and rarely live through their teen years. Conditions for girls in the street are often much worse, as they commonly experience physical and sexual abuse, are bullied or mugged by the boys when they do get food or money, and are easily kidnapped by traffickers and sold as sex slaves. It’s estimated that 16 of the 20 million current “prostitutes” in India are victims of such trafficking. The average life expectancy of a trafficking victim is 7 years.
Dawas Ministries provides feeding shelters and outreach programs to meet the the basic needs of street kids. By providing education and foster homes, we are advancing the fight against child trafficking. As we build relationships with each child, they are empowered to escape poverty and break the cycle of homelessness.
Dawas Ministries has been uniquely positioned with a solution to fight child homelessness in India. As people of India ourselves, we have the heart to preserve and restore our beautiful India culture and heritage. We believe salvation for the people of India cannot come through the funding and influence of outside nations, but must be accomplished by the people of India. Although we believe that is through the life of Jesus Christ we are called and empowered to minister, we do not require the children we minister to to accept Christian beliefs. Dawas Ministries provides immediate care for Indian children, not as a means to exploit them or sway them to become Christians, but so that they can gain an advantage of having their basic needs met to focus on their education, developing their own beliefs, and improving the lives of their fellow countrymen. The Dawas Ministries team is uniquely positioned as both people of India and citizens of the United States to provide a solution through:
“Nevertheless, if India is to live as a nation, if the slow death by starvation of her people is to stop, some remedy must be found for immediate relief. The proposed conference is certainly not the remedy. It is not a matter of carrying conviction by argument. The matter resolves itself into one of matching forces. Conviction or no conviction, Great Britain would defend her Indian commerce and interests by all the forces at her command. India must consequently evolve force enough to free herself from that embrace of death.“
– Mahatma Ghandi (In his letter to the Viceroy “Quit India” Speeches)
You can be a part of caring for street children with Dawas Ministries! We ask for your prayers and hope that you will connect with us by joining our email list. Please also consider making a one-time donation or becoming a monthly financial partner.
A Donation of just $5.00 is more than most Indian people live on for 2 full days.
