Love Activates Us. Compassion Motivates Us. Service Leads Us. Transformation Drives Us. Mission Unites Us.
WHAT WE DO
Love Activates Us. Compassion Motivates Us. Service Leads Us. Transformation Drives Us. Mission Unites Us.
India is the land of billions, people tucked into every corner of every street, lives as colorful and complicated as the land itself. Dignity Freedom Network works to remember the forgotten faces, those society ignores. We think every life is worth restoring, and every person worth fighting for.
The heart of what we do is protect vulnerable women, children, and families from exploitation, help them reclaim their dignity and purpose, and restore freedom and opportunity in lives transformed by whole care for the whole community. We make a promise that their tomorrow will be better than today.
WHERE WE WORK
Our work is primarily in India, but we serve people all over India. Due to their low position in society, marginalized people are often used without consequence. They are raped, held captive in brothels and temple ceremonies, and forced to work as bonded laborers. They are usually without education, without economic opportunities, without healthcare, without hope for their future.
We work in large cities and in rural villages, with young children and new moms. With broken women and fractured families.
But we work with great hope and fierce intentionality that every human is worth fighting for.
WHO WE ARE
Love Activates Us. Compassion Motivates Us. Service Leads Us. Transformation Drives Us. Mission Unites Us.
We are a team of dedicated individuals and local churches that support our partner in India who actually carries out our holistic community development programs.
We are led by a North American team that serves both Canada and the United States. DFN Canada is also led by a team of volunteer patrons.
International Leadership Team
Matthew Cork, Interim President, DFN Canada
Joseph D’souza, DFN International President
Kumar Swamy
Josh D’Souza
Mona Froese
Globally, DFN is led by Bishop Joseph D’souza, a world renowned civil rights advocate. For more information on Bishop D’souza, visit his website.
DFN’s global network includes sister organizations located in:
International Patrons
George Verwer – International Founder Operation Mobilisation
- Ted Hilton
Tom MacCallie
- Lord David Alton
Baroness Caroline Cox
- Rev. Dr. Richard Howell
For almost two decades, I have been intimately involved with the work of Dignity Freedom Network in India. I am thankful to God for each of you who has partnered and worked with us to impact the lives of children, women, families, and entire communities.
Recently, we made some organizational changes in order to stay up-to-date with legal regulations in both India and Canada. We are pleased to announce those changes are in place and DFN is once again open in Canada for compassionate people like you to impact the lives of vulnerable people in India. We are delighted and hope you will continue your involvement with us.
Because Every Life Matters.
Rev Matthew Cork
Interim President, DFN Canada &
Senior Pastor, Friends Church, Orange County
FAQ
Promise is a monthly giving initiative that helps women, children, and entire families break the chains of poverty and injustice. Members of Promise provide whole care for the whole community. Promise changes thousands of lives for the most vulnerable in India.
Promise helps all of India. Members of Promise:
- provide access to healthcare,
- ensure a top-not education for children who are not sponsored,
- prevent labor and sex trafficking for vulnerable girls,
- rescue girls who have been trafficked, and
- provide skills training so women can provide for their families.
When you join Promise, you make a monthly commitment to provide whole care for the whole community. We count on your donation to provide continuous impact in India. Of course, we understand that circumstances change. To make a change in your monthly Promise commitment, email us. We’re always here to help!
Your monthly Promise donation provides whole care for the whole community. You support all our initiatives in India: trafficking prevention and rescue, education, healthcare, and skills training.
As a member of Promise, you’ll also receive monthly reports on how you’re impacting the lives of vulnerable children, women, and families in India.
Absolutely! Nothing will increase our work in India more than you getting your friends involved. You can host an event at your church, in your home, in your workplace, or even at your community fair. Your event can be 10 people or 100 people. We’ll give you all the materials, promo pieces, and resources you’ll need to host a successful event. Email us for more information.
Yes we do! We’d love to share a list of potential speakers with you. Just email us and we’ll be in touch.
Absolutely 100% yes! India has the highest population of children in the world, as well as the largest number of children in poverty. Extreme poverty puts them at risk for both child labor and human trafficking. Education not only provides a safe place to grow up, but also the tools to rise above economic poverty. You are providing a quality education as well as a safe and loving environment that changes the trajectory of a child’s life forever.
Children study a preparatory, government-approved curriculum, with English as the primary language of instruction. Without the ability to speak and write English, underprivileged children have little chance to excel in Indian society. Students also receive a values-based education promoting the principles of freedom, equality, and human dignity for all. Our GSSs provide education to children regardless of their class, creed, or faith.
Our stories are always real. We change names and photos to protect the identity and preserve the dignity of those we serve.
We will not sell, rent, or trade our donors’ names, postal addresses, email addresses or phone numbers with any other entity. Read our privacy policy for more information.
At DFN, we are intentional with stewarding finances and other resources to best support the poor, marginalized, and outcasts of society across India. We observe high standards of business and personal ethics when working alongside donors and partner organizations. We practice integrity in fulfilling our responsibilities and comply with all applicable laws and regulations. Please contact us for more information.
We do take visitors to India to immerse in Indian culture and see the work of DFN in action. If you are interested in traveling with DFN to India, please email us.
All donations go towards furthering the mission of bringing dignity and freedom to the most marginalized people in India. We believe holistic community transformation is the best way to change lives forever.
We work to transform marginalized communities through education and opportunity. The heart of what we do is to build schools called Good Shepherd Schools (GSSs) and to sponsor kids. Through the schools, we also offer healthcare and economic empowerment initiatives for families, especially women. We also support women’s centers, especially for those who have been exploited, and a girls’ shelter for those most vulnerable to human trafficking. In addition, we help support a 40-bed hospital (currently under construction) and several AIDS clinics. For more about what we do, read this blog entry or download our Fact Sheet.
There 250 million Dalits in India, and they comprise the largest, most at-risk people group in the country. For more about Dalits, check out this blog entry.