Rev Elisha Satvinder and his wife, Petrina Shee, don’t believe in passive faith.

For 27 years, the co-founders of Dignity for Children (Dignity) have faithfully served the poor and marginalised in Kuala Lumpur. They have also taken in more than 50 children through adoption or fostering, raising them as their own.

Their journey with children and the community, however, was not something they had planned.

After completing their seminary studies in Portland, USA, in the 1990s, they returned to Malaysia to plant a church.

The couple established New Covenant Community Church in Sentul, but soon encountered children and families, both local and refugee, living in poverty.

It was God calling.

“Seminary shaped our theology, but the poor shaped our humanity. Our obedience to Christ went beyond preaching – it meant living out the essence of Matthew 25: ‘Whatever you did for the least of these, you did it for Me’,” Rev Elisha, now 60, shared.

Through church outreach initiatives, they began serving the community with grocery distributions, free medical check-ups, school supplies, job placements and even counselling.

However, they quickly realised that these initiatives, while helpful in the short term, were not sustainable.

God then opened their eyes and minds to see the key to breaking entire families and communities out of generational poverty: Education.

God doesn’t divide by class or income

“As we connected with families, we witnessed a profound lack of literacy and learning. Children were unable to read or write, and were trapped in cycles of helplessness,” Rev Elisha said as he recounted the genesis of Dignity for Children.

Petrina also noticed developmental delays in children caused by poverty and learned helplessness.

“Many preschool-aged children had skipped the entire crawling stage, and their psychological and mental development had been affected. She began teaching the children how to literally crawl again,” said her husband.

After reading The Discovery of the Child by Maria Montessori, everything clicked.

She decided to put herself back in school. She obtained two diplomas in Montessori education, and then two Master’s degrees in education and child development.

The couple did not have the funds for Petrina’s academic journey, but the Lord covered every expense.

When the work first began in 1998, they had 20 students participating in informal tuition programmes. Today, this number has increased a hundred-fold.

It has been 27 years since Rev Elisha and Petrina said “yes” to God’s call.

In 2008, the non-governmental organisation collaborated with UNHCR to provide teacher training for refugee learning centres in the Klang Valley.

In 2014, they started the first IGCSE programme, a globally recognised qualification, for underprivileged youths in Malaysia.

A year later, Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States, visited Dignity.

“We choose not to give the underprivileged leftovers but the best. The first Montessori school for the poor in Southeast Asia (opened in 2003) began with that belief – not opulence but excellence,” Rev Elisha said.

“God doesn’t divide by class or income – why should we?”

Dignity’s primary-aged students learn with interactive tools and creative approaches to facilitate holistic development, said Rev Elisha.

Many of the children who have passed through Dignity’s doors are now teachers, leaders and role models. In 2015, Dignity sent its first Rohingya student to a world-renowned university in Malaysia.

“This is a testament to the fact that education is not just charity. It’s justice, and it has the power to transform lives,” Rev Elisha said.

Living the Gospel

Through the years, Rev Elisha and Petrina have faced criticism from fellow believers for “not being Christian enough” and “not preaching the Gospel”.

They are undeterred, however, because they firmly believe that embodying His redemptive love is part of the Gospel.

“The Gospel is more expansive than ‘You must evangelise’. Jesus didn’t say, ‘When I was hungry, you converted Me.’ He said, ‘When I was hungry, you fed Me’,” the pastor said.

Many of Dignity’s students have no means of getting to school, so the organisation covers the last mile through a bus transport initiative.

Through mentoring, intervention and education, the Satvinders believe they are sharing and embodying God’s love. They trust that the Holy Spirit will take care of the rest.

“Over time, we’ve managed to break down walls of suspicion. Where once Christians were distrusted, now they’re embraced,” he said.

Different giftings, one call

What makes the couple’s partnership work is sharing one call and living an open life, revealed Rev Elisha.

“Align your hearts and honour your differences. Petrina and I complement each other in giftings, but share one call. Know why you’re doing this and who you’re doing it for. Also, don’t be afraid to open your life,” he continued.

Rev Elisha and Petrina with their extended family and some of their foster children. Over the years, more than 50 children have called the Satvinders’ place their home.

Through the years, the Satvinders have adopted and fostered more than 50 children from poor communities and broken homes, in addition to their two biological daughters.

“Every one of them has taught us something,” he mused, adding that having their “blended” family has shaped their faith and revealed to them God’s heart.

People matter to God

Today, Dignity’s preschool, primary and secondary programmes serve more than 2,000 students of 29 different nationalities.

Dignity has also added five enterprises designed to offer real-life training and employment opportunities to underprivileged youths, especially refugees and the B40 (low-income) communities.

Youths learning their way around a kitchen at Dignity’s F&B and baking training space.

A chic cafe, eat x dignity, offers hearty meals with a local twist.

Handmade goods, mostly batik, are made by refugee women through sew x dignity, while aspiring bakers and hairdressers can hone their crafts at halal-certified bake x dignity and cut x dignity respectively.

One of Dignity’s five transformational enterprises, cut x dignity, offers affordable haircuts by trained youth from underprivileged backgrounds.

Dignity also runs a Farm Academy in Bentong, Pahang, where students and visitors can obtain academic knowledge, learn from nature and be shaped in character. A football tournament for underprivileged children, Dignity Cup (formerly Faisal Cup), is also held every year.

Guiding every decision is this core conviction: People matter to God.

“People must matter to us. Dignity means treating every child as fully human, with value, purpose and potential,” Rev Elisha said.

A legacy of making Him real

At present, the couple is seeking partners to become child sponsors, as well as to fund or support ongoing education programs.

“We’ve really discovered God’s heart – His grace, His grief, His goodness – in the most unlikely places. We’ve been rejected and misunderstood by some in society and the Church. But through it all, we’ve become richer in compassion, humility, and clarity about what truly matters: People,” Rev Elisha said.

They hope to challenge other Christians to see social justice as a non-negotiable in living out the faith. After all, there are over 2,000 verses in the Bible commanding us to serve the marginalised.

“Jesus touched the shamed, the broken, the rejected. And He called us to do the same. ‘Because you did this for the least of My brethren …’ – that’s not optional; it’s the heart of God,” Rev Elisha said with conviction.

“That’s our hope, that we have made God real to people.”

As he finished, he quoted Proverbs 19:17: He who gives to the poor lends to the Lord.

“Imagine that. God considers (serving the poor) a loan to Him. We can’t run from that. The Gospel is more than words – it’s a life poured out in love.”

Learn more about Dignity for Children and its various initiatives here.

RELATED STORIES:

How do you love a child who is not your own? Parents who foster with the Father’s heart

He tried to run away, but God taught this ultra-marathoner to run from depression instead

I was a failure but a family gave me a home; today I’m the National Director of YWAM Singapore