ABSTRACT
In Christianity, charity motivated by biblical injunctions is urged on individual Christians and associated with churches and religious orders. It seeks to improve the welfare of the most vulnerable, such as widows and orphans, to provide healthcare, or to provide education to the poor as well as church (and often state) functionaries. As first Catholic missionary orders and then Protestant missionaries from the mainline churches arrived in SSA and South Asia to proselytise, they were accompanied by their existing charitable mandates and experience. Mission stations needed to cater for the social and economic needs of both their expatriate and locally recruited staff. In addition, it was recognised that the provision of welfare services, especially in societies where individuals relied on their (not always very supportive) families and communities, was a potent incentive for conversion.
