Precious Children of India: Giving Voice to Destitute Children of the World

by Elizabeth Ann Carpenter

Children around the world live in dire conditions without even the basic necessities of water, food, shelter, and love. They often suffer in silence, struggling just to exist among the unexplainable and irreversible conditions in which they find themselves. Many are so young they do not know what they lack – the love of a family and the comfort of a home. Survival is their only concern as they grow up in a world of adults who seem to have forgotten them or are so busy with their own survival that they really do not have time to care. These first person narratives are compiled from conversations with dozens of boys and girls in India. They put a voice to the suffering that they and thousands more like them endure every day. Children bravely share their stories of being caste bound, trafficked, beggars, witnesses to murder, unwanted, and of suffering great loss. Each child is a witness to his or her own story of survival. From their voices can be heard the desperate plea for someone to care, and if not for themselves, then for those even less fortunate whose voices have not been heard. About the Author Elizabeth Carpenter, and her husband, Bruce, have been deeply touched by the desperate needs of children around the world. They answered God’s call to give these children a voice by gathering and sharing their stories. From this calling, His Precious A Story-Sharing Ministry was formed. Their ongoing passion is to work with needy children around the world and empower them through sharing their stories. Their most recent trip was to India. Elizabeth and Bruce live in Columbus, Ohio, with their two dogs, Tippy and Zoey. They have two grown children, their daughter, Christina (husband Brian), and son, Zachary; also, like a son, Liz’s youngest brother, Kevin. They love being grandparents to Ethan and Oliver too. They are part of the church family at Discover Christian Church in Dublin, Ohio.

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 24, 2014

About the author

Bruce and Elizabeth Carpenter have been deeply touched by the desperate needs of children around the world. They answered God’s call to give these children a voice by gathering and sharing their stories. From this calling, His Precious Children: A Story-Sharing Ministry was formed. Their ongoing passion is to work with needy children around the world and empower them through sharing their stories.
Bruce and Elizabeth live in Columbus, Ohio, with their two dogs, Tippy and Zoey. They have two grown children, their daughter, Christina (husband Brian), and son, Zachary. They are part of the church family at Discover Christian Church in Dublin, Ohio.

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elizabeth Ann Carpenter Precious Children of India provides a unique look into life on the missionary field of India by giving the children a voice. With only 2 percent of the population considered Christians and 65 million of its people living in slums, the opportunity to care for the body and soul is great.

Through the personal stories, or narratives, of several children, readers get to see up close what these children have endured thus far in their short lives. Christian pastors, with permission of their parents, ushers children to one of many Christian schools, where the children live during the school year and receive an education, food, uniforms, clothing, security, love, and hope.

The children’s narratives often expose the residual effects of their previous living conditions. One child wants people to notice her cleanliness. Before coming to the school, she worked as a rag picker to help her family, which often left her dirty. Another child, gripped with hunger for so long, peppers her conversation with talk of food.
Children enduring starvation, violent households, or hunted down by family members to be murdered because they possess a physically or mentally disability, or girls held in contempt because they were born female instead of male, narratives can be found in the pages of the Precious Children of India. For many families the practice of paying a dowry to their daughters’ bridegroom is an expensive proposition. Although laws exist prohibiting the practice, they are not enforced.

Some parents sell their daughters into prostitution to provide funds for a struggling family. A caste system dictates all areas of individuals’ lives including education, jobs allowed to perform, and whom they may marry. The author shares various ways Christians at home can help the Precious Children of India, because the need is great, as this gripping, eye-opening book reveals.

[Katrina Roets · Rating 4 out of 5]

While simply written (after all, it is in the children's own words), this book is full of heart breaking imagery that with every page made me more thankful for what my boys and I do have. We might be poor and struggling, but we're not out picking through garbage looking for food or items that we can sell...and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Living where we do, perhaps we've grown a bit hard to the struggles of families elsewhere, but this book opened my eyes and there isn't a single person out there that I wouldn't suggest read it.

[Mazzou B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really touching book, and well-written! I recommend!