• Population: 1027 Million [Source: Census of India, 2001]
• No. of people living below $1 a day: 34.7% (Source: World Development Indicator, 2005)
• Malnutrition: 21% of India's total population (Source: Human Development Report, 2004)

India has halved the number of its people below the poverty line in the last twenty years. However, around 350 million people still remain below the international US$1 a day poverty line.

Quality healthcare is the privilege of only a small percentage of the population that has access to hospitals in towns and cities. Most of rural India (which is 25% of India’s population, about 250 million) is poor and still below the poverty line; they struggle for food, let alone healthcare. Most villagers know only agriculture as a means of livelihood.

Figures recently released by the third National Family Health Survey show that, of children below three years of age, 45.9% are underweight, 38.4% stunted and 8% are wasted.

Popular education news refers to thousands of Indian IT and ICT experts who have practically "taken over" the Silicon Valley and gained a good life as well as better working conditions for themselves. However, at the other extreme, there are more than ten million children who have never been to school. It is estimated that only around 7 percent in the age group 18 to 24 are able to access higher education.  Half of the Indian population is below 24 years of age.

Clothing was gratefully received by a small orphanage in the heart of Bangalore. The Ashraya Orphanage caters for 80 young children, some of whom are disabled. They are provided with food, clothing and education to give them a start in life.

We have sent containers of aid to various regions in India, supporting the provision of free healthcare.