INDIA is a land of contradictions where the rich are very rich and the poor live on almost nothing. World Bank statistics report that, of a national population of 1.3 billion, 21.9 per cent live below the poverty line. Compare this with the UK’s population of 64.5 million of which, Oxfam report, 20 per cent live below the poverty line.

However, there is poverty and there is poverty. Undoubtedly anyone trying to live on a low income faces daily challenges but the abject poverty of no clean water source, shared toilet facilities and inadequate healthcare brings poverty to a new level.

On a recent visit to Goa in South West India, my husband Ken and I were invited to visit a school with a difference. Situated on the edge of Margao, a city of almost 90,000 people, I met the staff and children of Margao’s slum school.

It is run by the registered charitable trust El Shaddai - a lean operating, non-profit organisation which cares and caters for the ‘Untouchables’, or Scheduled Caste as today’s Indian government would prefer them called.

The term ‘Untouchable’ is an historic one rooted in India’s caste system and refers to someone who makes a living in specific sectors or trades. These are mainly associated with: the slaughter of animals, dealing with human or other waste matter and eating pork, beef or chicken.

For a higher caste person to touch somebody who works in these taboo trades was considered unthinkable and consequently the ever-discriminating label ‘Untouchable’ was coined.

In 1955 the Untouchability (Offences) Act made it illegal to discriminate against anyone from the Scheduled Caste, however things remain difficult for many of the 170 million of India’s ‘Untouchables’. There is still a very long way to go before we see any sort of equal opportunity for the children of India.

The origins of El Shaddai go back to 1996, when Matthew Kurian, a pastor from Kerala, recognised the insurmountable problems of children born into the Selected Caste. His first centre was a shed and he paid two local women 600 rupees (about £6) per month to teach children who were on the edge of society.

Unregistered children of the Selected Caste have no right to an education and are probably destined for a life of begging, scavenging and even crime.

In December 1996 Matthew met an Englishwoman Anita Edgar - a Devonian nurse holidaying in India. They shared the same concerns and commitment to breaking the cycle of deprivation that street children faced.

Since those early days El Shaddai has gone on to support over 4,000 children. In 2012 Matthew Kurian received the Excellence Award for National Social Activity.

Although I have made visits to schools in Ghana and Tunisia, for my husband Ken this was a first. However what we saw was not what we had expected to see - joyful children in bright, clean uniforms. The manager, Francis, admitted that there weren’t quite enough for everyone. The teachers, both young women, were obviously dedicated to the care and education of their boisterous students.

Outside we walked through the hilltop slum which overlooks the Fatorda Stadium, built in 1989, with a 19,000 capacity. It plays host to national and international football and cricket matches and cost over £4.6 million to build.

From the school we braved the busy roads into the heart of Margao, a noisy, bustling city, where wandering cows have priority and yellow and black tuk tuk taxis rattle through the traffic in a high speed slalom.

Turning off the main street we stopped to buy fruit for the children of Stepping Stones Orphanage. The centre is a life support system for many of Margao’s orphans and provides hot meals, washing facilities and education for children who, without the centre, would be forced to survive on the streets.

Left to their own devices they would live a life most of us can scarcely imagine. The likelihood of them turning to crime is high and they would undoubtedly become parents of children who ultimately would fall into the same lifestyle.

Stepping Stones changes this for many. Through the Manna Khana free food distribution programme, over 300 children, disabled and elderly people get a hot nourishing meal every day. This costs the centre the equivalent of £60 per day.

Stepping Stones was different to the slum school. The children were obviously happy and the staff just as dedicated, but there was a definite difference. These kids were even more boisterous, clamouring for our attention and enjoying the games we played with them. This is possibly something they have seen little of in their short lives.

Due to the many languages and dialects of the children, lessons are taught in English, which will be a big advantage when they enter the world of work.

Today, El Shaddai runs residential homes, day care and community centres, together with cottages for senior students attending university, college, technical institutions and professional training centres. Some ex-students return to work for El Shaddai.

To say we were impressed with the Margao centres is an understatement. The dedicated staff achieve so much on very modest funding, with almost every penny raised spent on helping the poor - no big administrative bills for El Shaddai.

Sadly, there’s no quick fix for India’s poor, while this massive sub-continent continues to climb the global economic ladder the nation’s poor continue to face the everyday challenges of survival. The lucky ones will find a place at an El Shaddai centre where they can work towards a better future.

We shall return to Goa next year, taking a suitcase packed with children’s clothing, books and stationery, to help in a small way. If you would like to donate items for our suitcase please contact Angela Fitch at angela.fitch@btinternet.com and for more information about El Shaddai visit http://www.childrescue.net/index.php