World Indigenous Peoples Day: A Look at the Church’s Work Among India’s Tribals

A home can mean more than four walls In Tamil Nadu, the Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council’s Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes launched a project to build 60 houses for vulnerable Dalit and Tribal families living in severe poverty. Twelve houses have already been completed, with work underway on the remaining 48. For these families, the project is about more than construction. It is about giving people something every family deserves — security, stability and dignity. When faith transforms a village In Bhitar Panbari, Assam, the Church’s presence began with small communities coming together in prayer. Through Basic Ecclesial Communities, that faith gradually became a source of wider community development in a village that had faced isolation, poor infrastructure and widespread illiteracy. It is a reminder that sometimes the Church’s work begins with something as simple as people coming together — and discovering that they can transform their community together. Education that creates leaders For decades, the Ranchi Jesuit Province has invested in Adivasi communities through education, vocational training and leadership formation. Its educational ministry across Chotanagpur and Assam now reaches more than 41,500 students. But the impact goes beyond classrooms. Generations of young people have gone on to become teachers, professionals, public servants, Church leaders and voices for their own communities. When standing with people means standing for their rights The Church’s work has not always been about building institutions or providing services. Sometimes it has meant standing beside communities when their rights are threatened. The Bagaicha Centre in Ranchi, founded by Jesuit Fr Stan Swamy, continues to accompany Adivasi communities in their struggles concerning land, dignity and justice, carrying forward a mission that became central to Fr. Stan’s life and legacy. Giving tribal children a place to growIn Kerala, the Sisters of Nazareth have accompanied the Muthuvan tribal community in Marayoor for decades. Their work includes boarding homes and education for tribal children, giving young people access to opportunities that might otherwise remain beyond reach.The sisters have also worked to strengthen women’s economic participation and independence, showing that empowering a community often begins by empowering its women.