Many cities in the developing countries like India face problems due to large scale migrations of populations from villages. These people come to the cities in search of work hoping for a better lifestyle. However, in the cities, they find themselves ghettoed in slums. Unable to maintain their own culture nor adapt to the city's culture, they lose their culture and this is the worst thing that can happen to a community. A culture in a community develops over a period of hundreds of years which is why we have so many anti-social activities taking place in slum areas – alcohol, tobacco, marital problems etc. 90% of children in El Shaddai care come from homes with marital or socio-economic problems.
 
Having experienced this problem first hand in the slums we work with, El Shaddai is now looking at helping the populations in villages through Community Centres.
 
Through these Centres, we encourage children to go to school. Many of these children are so disillusioned and have no one to guide them. We work with the existing local school and motivate the children to study by conducting tuition after school and various development programmes for them. 
 
Simultaneously, we set up health camps, conduct vaccination programmes and teach family planning.
 
Agriculture is a mainstay in Indian villages. We help the villagers become self-sufficient by digging bore wells, giving them a goat, cow, chicken or piglets to help them start some daily earnings. We also try to help the women through self-help groups.
 
In this manner, we try to look at the overall development of that area and thus develop an “anti-migration” programme. By addressing the women and children, we believe we can facilitate change in these communities, giving voice to the voiceless.
 
Three centres each in Maharashtra and Karnataka, one in Kerala, one in Sikkim and one in Goa.
 
El Shaddai wants to empower more villages by following an holistic approach to development and bringing people out of the enslavement of poverty.