Incident
The Karnataka Government-run Higher Primary School at Bangarappa Layout, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Bangalore, in collaboration with World Vision, issued certificates to its students in August 2013 confirming their participation in a “Life School” camp conducted by World Vision. The following graphic shows the original certificate issued to a student named Sachin.
The translation of the text is as follows:
This is to certify that Sri Sachin from GHPS Bangarappa Nagar School has attended the “Life School” camp between 12/08/2012 till 14/08/2013 as a participant.
Sponsored by: World Vision India
The certificate is signed by the Vice President of World Vision India and cosigned by the Organizer of the camp and the Principal of the Government school.
Facts
In 2006, the public opinion forum VIGIL published a research volume on NGOs operating in India entitled NGOs, Activists, and Foreign Funds. This book was subsequently included in the Indian Parliament’s library.
According to VIGIL’s research, of the hundreds of NGOs and other forms of non-commercial foreign funding that flows into India, World Vision International occupied the second place in 2003-04 in terms of the funding it pumped into India. World Vision is listed by the United States tax authorities as a Christian missionary organization. Indeed, it makes its evangelical intent clear on its website:
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.
To follow our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of God.
Indeed, as an earlier IndiaFacts article showed, World Vision had a major role to play in the aggressive missionary activities in Kandhamal, Orissa, which eventually led to the murder of the 80-year old Hindu Swami Laxmananda Saraswati.
And it is this selfsame World Vision that has tied up with the aforementioned Government school in Bangarappa Nagar in Bangalore in the name of education for schoolchildren. A citizen journalist, Shrikantha has also left a firsthand account of the evangelical activities of World Vision in Bangalore.
It is thus shocking that the Principal of this Government school did not do due diligence before collaborating with and allowing World Vision to conduct its camp for young and impressionable schoolchildren.
Verdict
Missionary outfits like World Vision continue to inflict serious damage to the social and religious fabric of non-Christian countries like India by means of such overt and covert evangelical activities. Its extreme ramifications can be seen in incidents like that of the Swami Laxmananda’s murder and the continuing, missionary-sponsored arming of converted tribals and other native communities in the North East, who have all but turned against the Indian state.
IndiaFacts Verdict: That the Principal of the Government school at Bangarappa Layout, Bangalore has not done due diligence on World Vision is True.
IndiaFacts Staff articles, reports and guest pieces