India

India was our first country of intervention following Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s letter to Hélène Ehret, which showed her the way to help the largest number of Indian children.

Why India?

Because, despite being a highly developed country, the social gap is intensified by the caste system that prevents social mobility and change of status.

The education system is perhaps the most dramatic of the country’s contradictions.
India produces 2 million graduates each year, but one third of the population is illiterate and has the highest number of children who do not go to school. It is estimated that at least 33 million children are not enrolled in school and at least half of the schoolchildren in rural areas drop out of school before completing their compulsory education.

Social inequality in India is not not only related to income but also to gender. In the poorest villages, arranged marriages are the norm rather than the exception, relegating young girls to a life that often leads to violence and deprivation.

And, according to the alarm launched by Adf International, every day 7,000 girls are aborted in India just because they are female, due to the substantial dowry the family will have to pay when the daughter gets married.