Who are the Dalits?
“Dalit” comes from a word meaning “broken” or “deprived”. It is the name that people once called “untouchable” chose for themselves. Dalits are not a single caste or tribe. They are a broad group of communities that religion, custom and economics have placed at the bottom of the social order for many generations, in South Asia and beyond.
In Bangladesh the older caste system has no legal force, but its habits persist. Dalit families are still often kept apart at wells, tea stalls, temples and schools, and are expected to do the work others refuse.1,5
How many Dalits are there in Bangladesh?
Nobody knows exactly. Estimates usually range from about 5.5 million to 6.5 million people, roughly three to four percent of the country.1,2,6 The exact figure is uncertain partly because caste identity is not recorded in the national census, which also means Dalits are largely absent from official planning and budgets.
The Rishi community
The Rishi, sometimes called Muchi, are among the best-known Dalit communities in Bangladesh, traditionally working with leather as cobblers and tanners.6 Most families in Gonali are Rishi. They are cobblers, craftspeople and labourers in a rural economy, and across Bangladesh Dalit families often live in separate colonies at the edge of the settlement.
The work is essential. The person doing it is treated as if they were unclean. That is what “untouchability” means.
Where exclusion shows
Education
Dalit students face exclusion from many schools, and reports describe practices such as being made to clean classrooms or fetch water for others.3,5 Literacy is lowest among Dalit girls: an IDSN briefing cites 24.4 percent for Dalit women and girls, against 42.8 percent for women nationally, in figures that are now dated but that point in a clear direction.3
Work
Dalits are concentrated in the lowest-paid jobs, with limited access to formal employment. A 2025 study of the Bangladeshi labour market describes their exclusion as deepening.4
Housing and land
Many live in “colonies” with poor housing, and complaints of land grabbing, violence and forced eviction are documented.1,5
Cleaning and “unclean” work
Across Bangladesh the cleaning of streets, drains and toilets is still largely left to Dalit communities such as the Harijan, whose work is essential and whose treatment is anything but.7
Poverty and hunger
Human-rights organisations describe widespread poverty, food insecurity and ostracism among Dalit communities.1,2
In Gonali
In Gonali the numbers become faces. About 250 families, close to 1,500 people, most of them Rishi. More than 70 percent of households rely on daily wage labour, farming or traditional trades such as fishing, barbering and handicrafts. Average family income is below Tk 5,000, about $45, a month. Surveys suggest more than half of children in villages like this do not finish primary school.22
What The Yahweh Mission does
- Education: a school with books, uniforms and encouragement, from nursery to grade five.
- Nutrition and health: regular meals, health awareness and access to care.
- Skills: training for parents and young people in trades that lead to better work.
- Belonging: a place of prayer and welcome where Dalit families are known by name.
We do this alongside the community, not over it. You can help by sponsoring a child or giving to the school.