It is pretty overwhelming to see injustice happen right before your eyes. Now we might think that someone with 35 items in the 20 or fewer items checkout line is an injustice to our schedule, but I’m talking a true injustice. The Dalit population in India, also known as the Untouchables, are the heirs of generations of injustice. Not even a ‘recognized’ people group, the Dalit have watched the other castes around them have access to basic privileges that they themselves are denied. One of these is access to clean water.

The Indian government has done some work in rural areas to drill wells for the people of their country in light of the Millenium Development goals of the UN. However, I’ve stood and watched hundreds of Dalit, across several communities, stand in close proximity to a well that they were not “allowed” to use. Women and children would wait with an empty water container in hopes that someone would have enough compassion and mercy to allow them the opportunity to draw water from their handpump. This was amazing to me! Literally, to watch people, humans, flesh and blood, our fellow man, stand in wait for mercy to be shown for a basic human right. I mean, they were 25 feet from a fresh water source that they weren’t privileged to access. It was either mercy, or back to the grossly polluted, open-faced cesspool of a well that was located in close proximity to their home. This was a common site as we made our trek several hours South of Coimbatore, India.

The great news is the I Am Change is bringing hope to the Dalit! Through Hydrate Hope’s partnership with Thirst Relief, we are seeing villages transformed through access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene training. Thanks to dedicated workers on the ground like Paul Rajan, injustice is being confronted and hope is being brought about in real, tangible ways! One can’t help but think about the words of Jesus in Matthew 25 when he was talking about “the least of these” in this world. To walk alongside the Dalit, to see them as real people when even those around them might not, is to embrace these words, “what you do unto these least of these, you do unto me”. I am grateful for the partnership of individuals who understand their identity and role is one of bringing change to our world.

Let our thoughts move us to action. Stand up for injustice, reach out to those in need, comfort the broken….change happens through the doing, not just the thinking about it.