Slavery is a dark reality for many children entering our program. Forced labor, sexual exploitation, child marriage, and domestic servitude are the main forms of human trafficking in India. Sadly, poverty is a leading cause of trafficking, as desperate parents often make the excruciating decision to send their children to work as indentured servants or sell them into forced temple prostitution in order to pay for food. But there is hope! Sponsorship changes everything by providing for the children’s basic needs, so they can enjoy their childhood and grow into their God-given identities as sons and daughters of a loving God.

India ranks 105 out of the 127 countries on the 2024 Global Hunger Index. Kids enter the sponsorship program extremely malnourished and often stunted in their growth. Sponsorship provides them with the nutritious food they need to grow up healthy and strong. When a child is sponsored they never have to worry about where their next meal is going to come from. 

Because many children in India are forced to go to work to earn money for their families at a young age, they often don’t graduate from high school. Not only does sponsorship allow children to attend school, but every child in the sponsorship program is required to do so. Sponsorship provides for the children’s needs, so they can focus on their education rather than earning money. 

At Light a Candle we believe what Jesus taught through His ministry: that physical care and spiritual care go hand-in-hand. Sponsorship provides for the very real physical needs of the children, and in doing so showcases God’s love for them. With their bellies full the children attend weekly church services and Sunday school classes, and they are looked after by local pastors dedicated to seeing the children grow in relationship with the Lord and knowledge of His Word.

Our greatest hope is for a new generation in India that runs hard after the heart of God. Sponsorship is so much more than a monthly donation to provide food for a child; it is a catalyst for revival in a part of the world where the majority of unreached people groups reside. Our team in India is devoted to the heart of the mission: to bring light into the darkness and see lives transformed by the love of Jesus. When children enter the sponsorship program and begin to experience that love through their sponsors and their spiritual mentors the trajectory of their lives shifts dramatically. Their futures become more hopeful and so does the future of India.