by Keisha, DTS student
Their name is a constant reminder of their painful past. They are called “Kamaiya,” which means “slave.” The Kamaiya tribe was emancipated from their indentured slavery only a decade ago. Many of the school children we worked with are the first members of their families to be born into freedom. After being freed, the Kamaiyans were given a jungle land an hour’s walk from the city of Tikapur to live on. They built a village from the ground up.
While we lived in Tikapur this last week, we hiked out to the Kamaiyan villages to minister to these people. We headed out with a cart full of thick, warm blankets in tow. Kamaiyans gathered excitedly as our team and another YWAM team from Nashville lined up with the quilts in our arms. Then, one-by-one, 84 eager people were called up to receive their blanket and have their photo taken. They felt so honored to be the recipients of such gifts, they grinned from ear to ear. We felt honored, too. We were also able to show them Christ’s tangible love by giving them warmth for the cold Nepali nights.