Family is one of the most important social units in India. In the world’s second most populated country, with 1.2 billion people, families often have tight bonds. But even though this focus on the family is a mainstay, there are real challenges to relationships within families. In many cases, women are often overlooked in India. And in far too many instances, women are abused – India was ranked as the fourth most dangerous country in the world for women. But the Church is rising up to address these challenges at their core.
Through programs like Families for Life, World Relief partners with local churches to get to the root of these damaging problems. Married couples are invited to form groups where they can discuss the challenges of marriage and family as well as healthy solutions. And women are encouraged to contribute to the discussion – having both husbands and wives involved greatly enhances the resolution.
Flora, who has been a part of a Families for Life group in India, knows the value of communicating openly to address disunity, even when it’s not the norm. She said, “We women do not get many opportunities to attend any meetings or get any invitations to participate. But this meeting gave equal importance to men and women’s thoughts and experiences. I was reluctant to speak in front of others, but here I was bold enough to speak. My sincere thanks to World Relief and the team.”
We’re thankful for stories like these where marriages are strengthened and families form stronger bonds. For more information about World Relief’s work through the local church in India, visit worldrelief.org/india.