User:Sampaul123

Dr Sam Paul MA, BA National President, National Christian Council

(www.nationalcouncil.in)

Human Rights and Humanitarian Activities

Dr Sam Paul President of National Christian Council that has 22 State offices in India and networking in all the districts of India. He has traveled extensively within India to research and document religious freedom abuses and caste-based discrimination. He has a long history of campaigning on these issues, both within India and internationally, including at various institutions of the UN and with the UK and US governments. He has conducted extensive advocacy with the Indian government, particularly on religious freedom for Dalits. In addition to his campaigning work, he has been involved in training on Dalit rights, and co-ordinating a number of holistic approaches to combating poverty and deprivation.

His particular human rights contributions include the following:

	Testified before the US Congressional Committee on International Relations on the abolition of caste-based discrimination, on 6 October 2005; 	Lobbied at the United Nations World Conference on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, in Durban, South Africa, in 2001; 	Held briefings with elected officials in the UK and the US to discuss issues of religious freedom and caste-based discrimination in India.

He held positions of office in several organisations:

	National Co-ordinator, Good Shepherd Ministries. In this capacity, he has co-ordinated major holistic ministry projects in Bombay, Pune, Calcutta, Kanpur, Bhopal and Hyderabad, including projects to empower the underprivileged and to teach vocational skills. 	Manager, Good Shepherd Clinic and Medical Projects. He oversaw the operation of a healthcare study in Hyderabad with the state government of Andhra Pradesh in 1998. 	Team Leader, Hyderabad Good Shepherd Ministries. He directed the activities of various vocational training programs, supervising a staff of over 15 in three areas of Hyderabad. 	Chief Information Officer, OM India, involved in developing public relations strategies and streamlining the use of information technology. 	Leader of a research team conducting a survey into the socio-economic situation of minority communities across north India in 1987.

Education

	PhD from Delaware, USA. 	MA in Philosophy, Osmania University, Hyderabad, India; 	MA in Leadership and Management, BBS, Canada (degree pending); 	BA in English Literature, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, India;