Harvest Mission

Letter from Dr. Varghese Mathew (Saji) Director
Although India is a growing economy, it still remains the world’s most impoverished nation. Over 700 million people live on just $1 or $2 a day. Approximately, 40% of the country is still illiterate. It is estimated there are over 3 million children living in the streets and the malnutrition rate for children exceeds that of the sub-Saharan African continent. About 450 million people do not have  even the most basic standard of living. The country has a very large population of lepers and about 5 million people may be infected with the HIV/AIDS virus. India is the fastest growing AIDS infected nation in the world. On the other hand, the middle class of approximately 300 million are educated and many of them are qualified professionals.