Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honours God. – Proverbs 14:31 NIV
The Bible teaches us that the best test of a nation’s righteousness is how it treats the poorest and most vulnerable in its midst. CMCT extended its concern and care during Covid 19 showing the love of Christ at this time of tragedy.
The authorities from the government say the lockdown is key to saving lives, but it caused a severe economic crunch pressing the government to feed the
enormous population in the country and it is always a challenge to any government to feed the many millions of people who are in need. This ultimately resulted in country’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens falling prey either to the pandemic or hunger crisis.
Apart from the danger in life due to the fast spreading Pandemic the greatest need in the country during the ongoing
pandemic is about food and we Praise God that many generous hearted people within India and from abroad and from charities came forward to provide a beacon of hope to these struggling poor and needy.
In this heart-breaking scenario we were continuously receiving phone calls and requests from many families in our soup kitchen centres, from ration beneficiaries,
from projects, from strangers and from the streets for food, needing a bag of rice or just a plate of food and we couldn’t fulfil most of them due to restrictions on travel, transport and the high rate of infection.
But we saw it as our duty and responsibility before God to ensure that those we serve are not forced to bear the burden of not having essential supplies such as food and hygiene requirements during these difficult times and we also saw an opportunity at this time of crisis to display the love of God to those
In need and in suffering. God opened the door for us through a government association “Friends of Police” and then in partnership with other NGO’s and churches we were able to reach out to more than 3000 families as the day of writing this report including migrant workers and many families in remote villages who have no work and no access for any supplies to sustain their family. We went to various places with bags of ration containing 10 items in each bag weighing around 10kgs each bag. This was most satisfying and once the lockdown was eased we started distributing through our centre also on a daily basis.
It is also pertinent to note that we are learning a lot right now – about our delicate relationship with the created order and how poor choices made in one place can have unintended consequences in other places. We are also learning to co-exist peacefully with nature, that the best response to disasters
or emergencies is transparency, good government, honest reporting, human ingenuity, responsible citizenship, and valuing the common good.
The power of God’s love enables us to make the most of even the worst situations, to help each other in every way we can, and to let His light and His life have the last word.
We Praise God for this opportunity He had given to us to reach out and serve the poor and needy and also we thank all our friends and well-wishers who have generously supported us in this project.
CMCT (Christian Missions Charitable Trust) Covid-19 Relief for the Poor Project, Chennai, India