Rev. Elisha Satvinder

Rev. Elisha Satvinder

Co-Founder, Dignity for Children Foundation

Rev. Elisha Satvinder is the co-founder of Dignity for Children Foundation. The work has been born from the church, New Covenant Community. Him and his wife Petrina pioneered the church in 1995, and it has now taken on a life of its own. For the past 20 years, Dignity has been dedicated to providing quality education and care to the poor and refugees in Kuala Lumpur.

Dignity, the first Montessori school for the poor in South East Asia, is modelled on providing holistic development all the while being grounded in real-life experience. Elisha and Petrina strongly believe that education can and must take place beyond the four walls of a classroom. That the education of the mind must go alongside education of the hand and heart. This is evident in the transformational enterprises of Dignity that breaks down the wall between community and school. Since its start, Dignity has helped educate and transform over 6000 underprivileged children.

In November 2015, Dignity for Children had the great honour of hosting the President of the United States, Barack Obama. Elisha has a great passion and heart to see a national transformation and to raise the next generation, especially in caring for the marginalized. Elisha has spoken extensively both locally and overseas. He has taught in many countries including Australia, USA, Canada, Singapore, Indonesia and Philippines.
He is often invited to lecture in Bible schools, especially on Scriptural injunctions on serving the poor. He also speaks at local colleges and universities on various aspects of Social Responsibility and Social Ethics.

He is currently a council member and Honorary Secretary of the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF), a Board member of Tung Ling Seminary where he lectures each semester and Chair of Children at Risk Network in Malaysia.
In 2007, he served as the Director of Mobilization for Celebration of Hope Malaysia (An Initiative of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association). He also served on the council of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism.
He is also father to 2 biological daughters and 18 fostered children.
“Our journey is a journey of thousands of children believing, desiring, and reaching out to take hold of a secure future through education to break the cycle of poverty for themselves and their families.” – Rev. Elisha