Fighting Global Poverty with Ideas — Part 2 by Gospel for Asia (GFA World)

Last updated on: September 29, 2023 at 5:19 am By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) founded by KP Yohannan, issued this Special Report on the massive challenge of reducing extreme poverty worldwide, mainly through providing education, transmitting values.

Chain Reaction

One individual whose values have enabled him to rise from poverty and whose children are benefiting from his foundation can make an impact that expands his society.

Integrity is one of the qualities employers look for most. Billionaire Warren Buffett explains,

“Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if you don’t have the first, the other two will kill you. You think about it; it’s true. If you hire somebody without [integrity], you really want them to be dumb and lazy.”

The workplace quickly turns dark when negative ideologies are present. But on the flipside, business benefits mankind in beautiful ways when positive values define the scene.

A business owner’s upright values will dictate the way he treats his employees. He will not stop exploiting any of the world’s 24.9 million forced laborers

or 152 million child laborers.

On the other hand, an employee with positive values will not take advantage of his boss. His honesty will strengthen the company, which in turn will strengthen their local economy.

Values also determine whether a person will be marked by crime. Education alone helps people to respect justice, and their values will only solidify that position.

A report examining the correlation of education rates and crime reduction in the U.S. revealed that increasing the male high school graduation rate by just five percent would:

decrease overall annual incidences of assault by

nearly 60,000

decrease of larceny by

more than 37,000

decrease of motor vehicle theft by

more than 31,000

decrease of burglaries by

more than 17,000

It would also prevent nearly

1,300 murders

prevent occurrences of more than

3,800 rape crimes

prevent and more than

1,500 robberies.

When an individual has the unique experience of rising out of poverty himself, he knows what others in poverty around him need. When he has the chance to be a help to others or a voice for poverty alleviation, his firsthand experience will serve him well.

Kanal with his family — “By selling the piglets, we have bought a goat and chickens, which will be another source of income for our family. We do not have any problems now paying the school fees for our children. We also purchased roofing sheets to construct our house. I thank God for all the blessings this pig has brought.” —Kanal from Arunachal Pradesh

Kanal, a father in Asia, experienced this very thing.

After years of desperately struggling with poverty, he received a piglet at a Gospel for Asia (GFA) gift distribution organized by the local church. Later, the pig had a litter of eight piglets. He sold seven of them for a sizable profit and finally had the financial breakthrough he needed to start rising out of poverty.

Over the following months, Kanal’s pig bore another 10 piglets. Each one propelled the family farther out of poverty.

Kanal’s children saw how one person’s generosity changed their family—and then they saw their father do the same thing. Even though his family had many needs, Kanal’s gratitude for his amazing gift led him to donate one piglet back to the church so another family could receive a life-changing gift. Then Kanal approached one of his neighbors who also struggled with poverty and gave them a piglet as well. His neighbor would raise the piglet, and when it was ready to go to market, they would share the profits. Kanal is on his way out of poverty, and he plans to bring others out with him, too.

Ashima, a young girl in Asia, received help much as Kanal did. Her help, however, came in the form of tutoring, moral lessons, food and school supplies through GFA World’s Bridge of Hope Program.

Bridge of Hope Teacher — Bridge of Hope teachers, like this gentleman in West Bengal, typically serve children from impoverished situations, including those kids whose parents are affected by leprosy. They provide their students with a quality education, a daily nutritious meal, loving care and practical supplies like soap, schoolbags, and school uniforms.

“Before coming to the Bridge of Hope,” Ashima said, “I was not able to study seriously because of the problem and inconvenience at home, and the financial problem that we are going through.”

Ashima’s problematic home life and lack of guidance led her to skip school and waste her educational opportunities. Sadly, Ashima’s instructor scolded and punished her instead of teaching her the values she needed to succeed.

But then through Bridge of Hope, Ashima received the guidance she needed to develop positive character traits and values, which enabled her to excel in her studies—and in life. Less than a year later, Ashima’s story was quite different.

“My future ambition is that I want to become a medical doctor,” she shared. “Especially I want to serve the poor from our society because … once we were very poor, and because we were poor, we were not able to buy so many things. It affected us very badly. And now, because Bridge of Hope is here, this is helping poor and the needy people like us. I also want to help and serve all the poor children and poor people who are suffering.”

Ashima is one more person being lifted out of poverty because of empowering values—one more life being equipped to help others escape extreme poverty.

Girl receiving school supplies from Bridge of Hope center — Most parents of Bridge of Hope children are unable to afford their child’s school fees let alone other essentials, such as stationery and other school supplies, uniforms, and toiletries, so Bridge of Hope provides all these essentials through sponsors from America and Canada, relieving the parents of a great financial burden. Here, Ashima receives a few supplies that will help her and meet some of her family’s needs.

What Can We Do?

Children studying in Bridge of Hope Center — These children are being tutored at a GFA Bridge of Hope center in Nepal. Each child is given the education and opportunity to have the courage they need to transform their generation and the ones after them.

As astonishing as it may be, one person can make a significant impact on global poverty. Jesus changed countless cultural and societal norms when He came to earth and taught profound new ways of thinking. Notably, the values Christ embodied have a life-altering impact, and even today, where the Church serves, lives improve. As far back as Apostle Paul’s time, values led the early church to share among each other to the extent that “nor was there any among them who lacked” (Acts 4:34). Uprooting extreme poverty community by community is not impossible, but it requires determination and positive foundational values.

A person looking for ways to fight extreme poverty will find countless organizations to partner with through donations. That is the easy part.

But each person must, in addition, consider the following: What values are they promoting? What are their children and co-workers learning from them? Do their daily activities uplift others? Or are they reinforcing negative values, even if those values are a few steps removed?

In recent years, more people have become aware of the human rights issues present throughout many supply chains. And because people are choosing to live in accordance with positive values, they are supporting the companies that reflect those same values, such as treating employees well and paying them an honest wage. Taking steps as simple as supporting companies with ethical supply chain practices can diminish the world’s poverty.

Another critical step toward poverty eradication is equipping and supporting excellent teachers. Educational workers play a vital role in children’s development, for obvious reasons. Their influence, knowledge and teaching skills have the potential to transform a child’s life—or to destroy it.

Zaid Adil Sultan, a manager at a refugee camp in Iraq, relates a sobering example. When a militant group gained control of the region, its leaders inserted new teachers and programs into schools. The ideologies held by the group infiltrated curriculums, teaching children as young as 6 or 7 to use weapons.

“They gave them ‘courses’ that encouraged violence,” Sultan said. “In math, instead of teaching them that one plus one equals two, they taught them that one bullet plus one bullet equals two bullets.”

Bridge of Hope teacher with student — Education transmits values. As individuals and nations, we bear the responsibility to teach the next generation the ideas and values that will promote upward movement, not deeper poverty. This Bride of Hope teacher in Karnataka is assisting this student to improve in his studies and in building his character.

He went on to explain how children have been severely scared by indoctrination. Specialized workshops have opened to help children recover, but removing the damaging ideologies from young minds has proved difficult.

“The hardest age to treat is boys from 14 years old to 17,” Sultan said. “People have told me that before their sons went to those schools, they were okay, but after they went, they were coming home hitting their siblings and threatening to kill them.”

Education transmits values. As individuals and nations, we bear the responsibility to teach the next generation the ideas and values that will promote upward movement, not deeper poverty. Amazing teachers and professors around the world are helping children learn the skills and values necessary to thrive in life—and we thank them for their dedication. Yet many children live in places where negative values dominate ways of thinking, even among educational staff, and where poverty abounds.

Every culture is susceptible to damaging ideologies and to the poverty those ideas can generate. But great change is possible as individuals examine what values they are reinforcing and partner with educators who promote the positive values every child, family and community needs to rise out of extreme poverty.

A closing word from Dr. King:

“Education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals…
The complete education gives one not only power of concentration, but worthy objectives upon which to concentrate.”

Provide a Values-centric Education to Children at Risk in Asia

If you want to help children at risk in South Asia, consider a one-time donation to stand in the gap for boys and girls who need to be freed from hopeless situations into Bridge of Hope, where they can receive an education that transmits positive values, and provides a hope-filled future.

Provide Values-centric Education to Children at Risk in Asia »

About Gospel for Asia

Gospel for Asia (GFA World) is a leading faith-based mission agency, helping national workers bring vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across Asia, especially to those who have yet to hear about the love of God. In GFA’s latest yearly report, this included more than 70,000 sponsored children, free medical camps conducted in more than 1,200 villages and remote communities, over 4,800 clean water wells drilled, over 12,000 water filters installed, income-generating Christmas gifts for more than 260,000 needy families, and spiritual teaching available in 110 languages in 14 nations through radio ministry. For all the latest news, visit our Press Room at https://press.gfa.org/news.

Read the rest of Gospel for Asia’s Special Report: Fighting Global Poverty with Ideas — Uprooting poverty requires education that transmits values — Part 1

Learn more by reading these Special Reports from Gospel for Asia:

The Scandal of Starvation in a World of Plenty — World Hunger’s Ugly Truths Revealed
Poverty: Public Enemy #1 — Eliminating Extreme Poverty Worldwide is Possible, But Not Inevitable

This Special Report originally appeared on gfa.org.

Read what Christian Leaders have to say about Gospel for Asia.

Click here, to read more blogs on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

Notable News about Gospel for Asia: FoxNews, ChristianPost, NYPost, MissionsBox

Fighting Global Poverty with Ideas — Part 1 by Gospel for Asia (GFA World)

Last updated on: September 29, 2023 at 5:28 am By GFA Staff Writer

In my original special report for Gospel for Asia titled Solutions to Poverty-line Problems of the Poor and Impoverished, I explored education’s impact on extreme poverty eradication. This update explores the idea that uprooting poverty requires education that transmits positive values.

Reducing extreme poverty is a massive challenge. Groups around the globe approach the issue in a variety of ways, the most common of which is by providing education. A strong, multifaceted link bonds poverty and lack of education, so experts around the globe are attempting to bring education into poverty-stricken areas.

E.F. Schumacher
Photo by The Schumacher Institute

But even with academic lessons and increased school attendance among low-income families, children will be short-changed if in the end they don’t gain the ultimate endowment: ideas and values that empower them to thrive.

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.” According to Aristotle, “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”

E.F. Schumacher writes in his influential economics book Small Is Beautiful, “The task of education would be, first and foremost, the transmission of ideas of value, of what to do with our lives. There is no doubt also the need to transmit know-how, but this must take second place, for it is obviously somewhat foolhardy to put great powers into the hands of people without making sure that they have a reasonable idea of what to do with them.”

“When people ask for education,” Schumacher continues, “they normally mean something more than mere training. … I think what they are really looking for is ideas that would make the world, and their own lives, intelligible to them.”

Why do ideas and values matter so much? Because they have the power to transform the world—to uproot global poverty.

Concepts like honesty, diligence, respect, compassion and valuing human life are widely acknowledged as good—yet in many communities around the world these values are not being demonstrated or taught to children. When one individual has a foundation of beneficial values like these, he or she can impact other lives, from their own family to the entire world. For the sake of simplicity, our individual will be referred to as “he,” although both males and females are able to make incredible changes to the world around them.

Children listening intently in Bridge of Hope center class — The staff at this Bridge of Hope Project Center in West Bengal provide their children with an ongoing education and transmit positive values with utmost care and responsibility.

Personal Impact of Ideas, Education

Schumacher defined education’s primary purpose as being the transmission of values. Positive values and ideas make a significant impact on one individual, and global change is impossible without changed individuals. The story of a young boy in Asia exemplifies the life-changing power of education plus ideas.

Children in Bridge of Hope center posing together with teachers — Where this GFA Bridge of Hope center is located, around 40-50 percent of children drop out of school after fifth or sixth grade. Thankfully, these children pictured will have a higher success rate because of the help and encouragement that Bridge of Hope is to them and their families.

Six-year-old Bir helped his farming family by scavenging for plastic bags they could use to take their produce to market. His community held fast to time-honored traditions, which ensured stability but also locked families into generations of poverty.

Even though Bir’s family lived in poverty, the young boy still had the gift of attending school. But he floundered in the classroom. His books were filled with valuable information, and his teachers taught lessons that had the potential to change Bir’s life, but Bir lacked the discipline of listening and didn’t know how to get the knowledge from his books into his mind. The shame from his terrible grades stamped out the little boy’s motivation. Education was in his hands, but it wasn’t enough.

Then a GFA World Bridge of Hope center opened in his village. Bir and dozens of other kids in the village enrolled, eager to receive free tutoring and supplemental education.

Most of the children attending Bridge of Hope live in deep poverty. Many reside in places where impoverished children grow up hearing they aren’t important, they can’t ever amount to much, and they don’t deserve anything better. But at Bridge of Hope, they hear something very different.

Alongside their schoolwork, Bridge of Hope children learn lessons on values such as diligence, honesty, kindness, respect and more. They learn their lives matter—no matter how poor their families are or how behind they are in their studies. Students thrive under the enriched education they receive from their Bridge of Hope teachers, and they gain courage and motivation to make the best of their lives.

Through these foundational teachings at his Bridge of Hope center, Bir changed. He saw his potential and diligently applied himself to his studies—and to his chores at home. He learned to honor his parents, and he worked hard. By the time Bir completed 10th grade, he stood at the top of his class. Armed with impressive grades and strong values undergirding his choices and habits, Bir could pursue a college education with every reason to hope for continued success in life.

Education changed Bir’s life, but it wasn’t through academics alone. The right values enabled Bir—and thousands of other children like him—to succeed in schooling and find a better way of life. For the rest of their lives, Bridge of Hope children like Bir will know they, along with every other person, have worth and purpose. They will have the know-how to pursue their goals and to help those around them. They will become promising citizens any nation would be proud to claim as their own.

Bridge of Hope teachers and students — At the center, Bridge of Hope teachers have fun with the children to compliment their studies. In addition, BOH staff periodically visit their children and their families at their homes, which helps strengthen their relationship further. The children enjoy talking and interacting with BOH teachers whenever they visit, and the values of love and kindness get transmitted beyond their school life into their home life as well.

Ideas’ Impact on the Family

Thanks to quality, value-centered education, children become well-rounded, capable, confident adults. They know how to implement knowledge to better themselves and others, and they have a sense of participation in the world around them.

How will they impact their future families?

Parents play an undeniably important role in children’s lives. According to an article on parenting skills from Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development, “Many of the skills children acquire during the early years are fundamentally dependent on the quality of their interactions with their parents. For instance, parents play an important role in fostering children’s early learning (e.g., language and problem-solving abilities) and in shaping their social-emotional skills (e.g., emotion regulation, reactivity to stress and self-esteem).”

The article goes on to state how the parents’ involvement with their child heavily influences the future success of the child’s cognitive potential, social skills and behavioral functioning.

Anna J. Egalite, assistant professor of education at North Carolina State University, reaffirms the impact of parents’ education on a child’s success. She writes, “In most studies, parental education has been identified as the single strongest correlate of children’s success in school, the number of years they attend school, and their success later in life.”

Values are always passed along from one generation to the next—but they can be beneficial or detrimental. A parent who values the rights and dignity of others will teach their children to do likewise, even if they live in poverty and their society mistreats them because of their low status. A parent whose diligence and integrity enabled them to overcome financial and societal obstacles will encourage their child to press on in the same way. Their message to their children will be, “You can do it!” Conversely, a parent who doubts their worth and that of others, or who was discouraged from rising above “their station” will likely pass a dooming message to their children, squelching aspirations for a better life.

Poverty is a heritage millions of children receive—and wrestle to be free of. UNICEF estimates 375 million children are living in poverty. But when parents or teachers pass an education, filled with empowering ideas, into those young hands, the horizon holds incredible opportunity. The foundation of global poverty quivers, just one generation later.

GFA Pastor teaching children by the street — In this village in Meghalaya where not one person was literate, a Gospel for Asia (GFA) pastor is teaching these little children how to read and write, and showing the love of God in the process.

Ideas’ Impact on Society

History provides ample examples, some inspiring and some horrifying, of how ideas and values impact society and poverty.

A widow with her children — Assam: In many parts of Asia, when a mother is widowed, she is often shunned by her community, friends and family, leaving her and her children in a pressing state of survival, with often no hope for a better future.

Some values led to the formation of the slave trade, while other values led to its abolition. Some ideologies spurred violence, while others prompted the construction of relief camps and orphanages. The ideas propelling men like Stalin and Hitler left behind a wake of death and poverty. These examples reveal the importance of having positive guiding values.

The plight of the world’s 258 million widows, and hundreds of thousands of people with leprosy, reveals how harmful ideas actively reinforce poverty in our time.

Widows and leprosy patients in Asia typically live in positions of great need. Misfortune has made their lives very challenging, yet very few people around them consider them worthy of generosity.

Despite living where honor is a key fiber of the culture, widows of any age may be cast out of the home, abandoned to fend for themselves or easily taken advantage of. Many cultures hold the idea that a husband’s death is the fault of the wife; thus, when the husband dies, the widow “deserves” to be shunned. Over the decades, that idea has irreparably harmed the lives of countless widows and their young children, who also suffer the consequences of their mother’s rejection and subsequent poverty.

Similarly, leprosy patients are commonly expelled from their homes, disowned by their family members and even divorced on the grounds of their diagnosis. Poverty quickly fills the void created by retreating family members.

Neither a husband’s death nor a disfiguring disease justifies neglecting a human being. But in many societies in Asia and other parts of the world, this neglect is the norm and is even supported through legislation.

When individuals have the unique experience of rising out of poverty, they know what others in poverty around them need. When they have the chance to be a help to others or a voice for poverty alleviation, their firsthand experience will serve them well.

But look at what happens when positive values enter a widow’s life and replace damaging ones.

Last year, Gospel for Asia (GFA World) shared the story of a woman in Asia named Prina. When her two sons had grown, she discovered she had leprosy. Not long after her diagnosis, her husband was murdered during a land dispute. Prina now bore the double burden of leprosy and widowhood, both of which brought great ostracism from her community.

Prina was not forced to make her own way in the world, as many others have been, nor did she fall into extreme poverty as a result. But her son’s family, with whom she lived, banished her to one room in the house. None dared enter it. They brought her food once a day but only stood at the door. Prina was alone.

Then one day, some women from a local GFA Women’s Fellowship came to Prina’s home. Unlike most others in their culture, they did not fear Prina’s status as a widow or her disease. The women treated Prina with respect and love—something Prina had not experienced for many years.

The Women’s Fellowship team explained that Jesus loved her. Hearing this, Prina’s heart lifted. She mustered her courage and ventured out of her home to attend a worship service with her new friends. There, she received love and acceptance. And soon, after much prayer, Prina received healing from the physical pain her disease caused.

Prina’s son and the entire community witnessed a better way to treat widows and leprosy patients, and it left an impression. The values of unconditional love and compassion, lived out by a few women in the name of Christ, transformed Prina’s situation. And these values can transform so many more.

Provide Values-centric Education to Children at Risk in Asia »

About Gospel for Asia

Read the rest of Gospel for Asia’s Special Report: Fighting Global Poverty with Ideas — Uprooting poverty requires education that transmits values — Part 2

Learn more by reading these Special Reports from Gospel for Asia:

The Scandal of Starvation in a World of Plenty — World Hunger’s Ugly Truths Revealed
Poverty: Public Enemy #1 — Eliminating Extreme Poverty Worldwide is Possible, But Not Inevitable

This Special Report originally appeared on gfa.org.

Read what Christian Leaders have to say about Gospel for Asia.

Click here, to read more blogs on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

Notable News about Gospel for Asia: FoxNews, ChristianPost, NYPost, MissionsBox

Malaria Makes Comeback Amid Coronavirus Pandemic – Part 2 by Gospel for Asia

Last updated on: June 2, 2021 at 11:08 am By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – GFA World (Gospel for Asia) founded by K.P. Yohannan, has been the model for numerous charities like GFA World Canada, to help the poor and deprived worldwide, issued this second part of a Special Report update on Malaria making a comeback amid the worldwide impact of the COVID 19 Pandemic.

Progress Ebbs and Flows in the Fight to Beat Malaria

Recent developments in the fight against Malaria have placed a heightened spotlight on World Malaria Day, observed on April 25. Fortunately, despite the high death toll and other troublesome signs lately, not all the news about malaria treatment is bad. There are gains amid the setbacks.

Woman receives mosquito net. — This woman in West Bengal was very grateful to Believers Eastern Church and its leaders for providing her with a mosquito net to protect herself and her family from vector borne diseases like malaria.

One positive example is Myanmar, where the annual malaria death toll of 3,800 a decade ago has decreased to approximately 170. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria credits the efforts of 17,000 community volunteers who provide rapid testing and treatment, with serious cases referred to health facilities. Volunteers also educate the public through national antimalaria campaigns.¹⁴ Unfortunately, it’s unknown if the recent military coup in Myanmar will adversely impact the recent progress it’s achieved in the prevention of malaria.

News of another positive development appeared last October in Legion. About the same time the United States revealed a COVID-19 vaccine would be ready by the end of 2020, the Canadian magazine reported that a noted medical journal announced a new approach to fighting malaria.

Legion reported a clinical researcher for the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has developed a vaccine for mosquito-borne diseases, based on mosquito spit. It causes the immune system to recognize mosquito saliva proteins and produce antibodies. The antibodies promote immunity by binding to pathogens to prevent them from damaging cells, plus coating pathogens and alerting other immune cells to attack and remove them.

“Those antibodies recognize the proteins the next time they’re encountered, sparking an immune response that goes into action to impair or prevent infection—and not just to malaria, it turns out,” wrote author Sharon Adams. “In animal studies, saliva vaccines impaired development of mosquito-borne Zika virus and sandfly-borne leishmaniasis.”¹⁵

In the first human trial of this vaccine in 2017, Adams said a strong immune response was observed among 49 volunteers, with only minor side effects. Next it will be tested on larger groups; if clinical trials continue to prove successful, the first effective malaria vaccine may be just around the corner.

Mother and child resting inside their mosquito net — Maya from a village in Uttar Pradesh was given a mosquito net as a Christmas gift by Gospel for Asia. She can now protect her family from mosquito bites that transmit vector-borne diseases like malaria, Zika, dengue, encephalitis and more.

In addition to this promising development, a European magazine carried a report from a healthcare company official saying there are antimalaria positives to be gained from the COVID-19 fight. Hogan Bassey, a Nigerian native who experienced several bouts with malaria as a child, noted that the pandemic highlighted system failings in global healthcare. He said if we are able to address those problems, the world will be better positioned to eradicate malaria and other diseases.

The chief innovation officer and founder of LivFul said his company is working with others—including nonprofits—to develop a repellent that it hopes will prove an efficient control tool. It has been working on a project in Ghana with a pharmaceutical company to improve one of the repellant’s ingredients, using LivFul’s technology to drive access.

After moving to the USA from Nigeria, Hogan Bassey began to work on an insect repellent formula to change the world. The true breakthrough for his new company, LivFul, came after partnering with a physical chemist to create a brand-new technology which allows insect repellent to remain on top of the applicant’s skin for 14 hours at a time. Photo by Terry News

“When we developed a revolutionary family-friendly insect repellent to halt the transmission of diseases like malaria and Dengue fever, we knew we could have a significant impact on insect-borne disease,” Bassey wrote in EPM Magazine. “If people in malaria-prone areas can purchase and use our repellent, these diseases can be stopped before they destroy lives, families, communities and industries.”¹⁶

Such a product won’t be the first tool developed. National Geographic recently reported hundreds of thousands of children across Kenya, Malawai and Ghana have been receiving the RTS,S vaccine, whose development has taken 35 years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars. While some African health professionals have asked if the expense and logistics of multiple vaccinations are worth it, the magazine said some Chinese scientists have been utilizing a new approach: preventing malaria from even occurring.

It goes back to 1972, when the Chinese discovered Artemisinin, a drug used to treat malaria. Now, scientists there believe Artemisinin Combination Therapies (ACTs) can be delivered to an entire community simultaneously, through Mass Drug Administrations. The goal is to reduce levels of the malaria parasite in human blood, so mosquitoes won’t contract it and spread it.

“The life cycle for a mosquito is 30 days,” explains Ethan Peng, senior manager in Kenya for the Chinese company New South, which manufactures ACTs. “So by mass medication, we can clear the source from all human beings (so) the mosquitoes cannot pick up on the malaria parasite again with their short lifespan.”¹⁷

Crowd and woman walking away happily after receiving the gift of mosquito nets — People in rural villages in West Bengal often suffer from malaria, but these folk were very happy to receive mosquito nets for their families. Over eight hundred mosquito nets were gifted to the villagers who come from economically poor backgrounds, and might not have been able to afford to buy them on their own.

Mosquito Nets Still the Leading Tool for Protection

Children sleeping peacefully under the protection of a mosquito net. — Vandana and Vaibhav are sleeping peacefully on their bed in Maharashtra under their mosquito net which protects them from mosquito bites. They received their bed nets from a Christmas gift distribution from Gospel for Asia.

When it comes to fighting malaria, the bed net still appears to be the leading tool. When COVID-19 hit in March 2020, WHO malaria scientist Pedro Alonso expected the biggest malaria disaster in 20 years after African countries temporarily suspended bed net campaigns.

That didn’t seem to be happening, the scientist said five months later. He credited lobbying by WHO’s Global Malaria Programme and its partners, which persuaded countries to resume their net distribution campaigns. Despite concerns over continuing COVID-19 problems, Alonso said, “We probably stopped the first big blow.”¹⁸

Among the many non-governmental organizations doing their part to distribute mosquito nets is Gospel for Asia (GFA).

Since 2010, GFA has distributed more than 1.3 million nets to at-risk residents in mosquito-prone areas, including 380,000 in 2019 (many are treated with insecticide, with availability depending on local conditions).

These efforts are augmented by distribution of malaria pills at GFA’s medical camps. In 2019 the organization hosted nearly 1,300 camps, which are free to attendees.

The difference net distributions make can be seen in the stories of people like Baharupa, a 55-year-old farmer and father of three who felt pressured to drink alcohol at many village-wide events. Not only did he often wind up drunk, he developed an addiction. That all changed after Satyam, a GFA worker, organized a distribution of 4,000 nets.

“Who can give us mosquito nets without money?” Baharupa wondered. “This shows [the believers’] love towards us.”¹⁹This experience so touched Baharupa that it began a transformation in his life.

Another story of relief involves a 71-year-old widow whose husband had died more than a decade prior. With four daughters all married, Bhranti spent evenings alone, worried about the tattered net providing her only protection from mosquitoes. She received a new net through a distribution organized by a GFA worker.

“I am so grateful to the [GFA workers] for their love and care and for providing a mosquito net,” Bhranti says. “Now I do not need to worry about buying a mosquito net as I have been provided a new one.”²⁰

Even amid the problems COVID-19 has caused in poorer parts of the world, GFA’s supporters have been able to help local workers in the field save lives and prevent more tragedies during the pandemic, says Gospel for Asia (GFA) founder, Dr. K.P. Yohannan.

Dr. K.P. Yohannan, GFA Founder — Dr. K.P. Yohannan,
*GFA World Founder*

“Without proper prevention or treatment, the consequences of a simple mosquito bite are very serious in many places of the world,” Yohannan says. “But for just $10, we can protect numerous lives, one net at a time.”

What can we do about mosquito-driven scourges? »

One simple way to fight mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, is to consider giving a needy family a simple Mosquito Net. For only $10, Gospel for Asia’s field partners can distribute one of these effective nets to an at-risk family in Asia and provide them with safety from insects during the day and at night.

Read the rest of this Gospel for Asia – Transforming Communities (GFA World) Special Report: Malaria Makes Comeback Amid Pandemic — Part 1

About GFA World

GFA World (formerly known as Gospel for Asia) is a leading faith-based global mission agency, helping national workers bring vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across the world, especially in Asia and Africa, and sharing the love of God. In GFA World’s latest yearly report, this included thousands of community development projects that benefit downtrodden families and their children, free medical camps conducted in more than 1,200 villages and remote communities, over 4,800 clean water wells drilled, over 12,000 water filters installed, income-generating Christmas gifts for more than 260,000 needy families, and teaching providing hope and encouragement available in 110 languages in 14 nations through radio ministry. In the years ahead, GFA World expects to launch programs in numerous African nations, starting with compassion projects in Rwanda. For all the latest news, visit our Press Room at https://press.gfa.org/news.

Read more blogs on GFA World, Malaria, Mosquito Nets and the COVID 19 Pandemic on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

Learn more by reading this Special Report from Gospel for Asia: Winning the Ancient Conflict Between Man and Mosquito — Know Your Enemy or Succumb to Vector-borne Diseases

KP Yohannan has issued two statements about the COVID-19 situation found here and here.

GFA’s Statement About Coronavirus

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This Special Report originally appeared on gfa.org.

Malaria Makes Comeback Amid Worldwide Coronavirs Pandemic – Part 1 by Gospel for Asia

Last updated on: October 5, 2021 at 2:23 am By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – GFA World (Gospel for Asia) founded by K.P. Yohannan, has been the model for numerous charities like GFA World Canada, to help the poor and deprived worldwide, issued this first part of a Special Report update on Malaria making a comeback amid the worldwide impact of the COVID 19 Pandemic.

It’s a back-and-forth battle growing tougher in the face of COVID-19, with mosquitoes responsible for spreading the disease taking on the appearance of brass-helmeted warriors immune to nearly every device aimed in their direction. Malaria, humanity’s most deadly infectious disease, is making a comeback while our primary defense—net distribution—is being handicapped by the disruptions to normal life caused by the worldwide pandemic.

Insecticidal Nets a Mainstay, but Declining to Protect in Some Cases

Mother and child under mosquito net — Niger: Demilla and her children now sleep under the safety of a bed net, which protects them from malaria-carrying mosquitoes, which have regularly affected many of her close family members, including her two children. Photo by Nothing But Nets, Instagram

That news appeared last summer in Nature Communications, which published research showing insecticide-treated mosquito nets—considered a mainstay in combating malaria—are not providing the protection they once did.¹

According to another report in ScienceDaily, scientists say that’s cause for concern in tropical and subtropical countries. Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) were credited with saving 6.8 million lives over a recent 15-year period.²

Dr. Stephen Carl, a malaria researcher in Australia, said LLINs add a community-level protective effect by significantly decreasing the mosquito population, which benefits even people not using nets. In Papua New Guinea, their introduction in 2006 led to a significant decline in cases, but between 2013–14 and 2016–17, the rate of infections rebounded from less than 1 percent to 7.1 percent.³

“[LLINs] are the only tools used at present in the national campaign against the mosquitoes that can carry malaria,” said study co-author Dr. Moses Laman.

“Malaria kills around half a million people worldwide each year, so any suggestion that the nets are not working is cause for grave concern.”⁴

While conclusions are still being formed on the news reported in Nature Communications, it appears diminished bioefficacy at the manufacturing level may be contributing to the problem of resurgence in malaria incidents.

Girl resting under mosquito net — Mosquito bites will result in more than 700,000 malaria deaths around the world this coming year — wiping out the equivalent of the entire population of Washington, D.C., says a recent report by Gospel for Asia. The report — Winning the Ancient Conflict Between Man and Mosquito — coincided with World Mosquito Day, Aug. 20, 2020.

Debating Treated Nets vs Untreated Nets

But not everyone agrees that treated nets are necessary. Research published just prior to the ScienceDaily report questioned if their cost makes the fight harder. One report in Malaria Journal said although more than 90 percent of the burden occurs in Africa, most prequalified nets approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) are manufactured elsewhere. The publication said many local manufacturers lack the capacity to produce insecticidal nets at a competitive scale and pricing.⁵

Fredros Okumu speaking at TEDGlobal 2017 — Fredros Okumu is a Kenyan parasitologist and entomologist, who developed a synthetic mosquito lure which was 3-5 times more potent than natural human odor. Photo by Fredros Okumu, Twitter

By relaxing conditions, it is conceivable that non-insecticidal but durable—and possibly biodegradable—nets could be readily manufactured locally, wrote author Fredros Okumu. While not aiming to discredit treated nets, he said he wanted to illustrate how a singular focus on insecticides can hinder innovation and sustainability.⁶

“The public health value of nets is increasingly driven by bite prevention, and decreasingly by lethality to mosquitoes,” Okumu said. “For context-appropriate solutions, it is necessary to acknowledge and evaluate the potential and cost-effectiveness of durable untreated nets across different settings.”

In his lengthy report, he also observed that developers should, instead of overemphasizing the need for new insecticides, ensure that bed nets are accessible, durable and properly used, even if non-insecticidal.

“New insecticides can then be developed for other forms of vector control,” Okumu said. “It has been demonstrated that resistant mosquitoes can survive up to 1,000-times the concentration of insecticides that kill susceptible populations. Such strongly resistant mosquitoes may naturally incur major survival and fitness costs in nature but are unlikely to be killed directly by insecticidal nets.”⁷

Local Believers Eastern Church distributed over eight hundred mosquito nets to villagers from economically poor backgrounds. — Malaria caused by mosquitos is one of the main killers in West Bengal, India, as the villages in these areas are surrounded by tea plantations and forests with lots of insects. On World Mosquito Day, August 17th, 2016 the local Believers Eastern Church distributed over eight hundred mosquito nets to villagers from economically poor backgrounds, who would be unable to afford to purchase their own.

Fighting a Coronavirus that Hampers Bed Net Distribution

However one looks at the necessity of treated nets, distribution of any nets—treated or untreated—has been a cause for concern during the coronavirus outbreak.

Writing in Nature Medicine, researchers forecast the possibility of 779,000 deaths in sub-Saharan Africa over a 12-month period, culminating in the summer of 2021.⁸ That compares to a WHO worst-case estimate of 769,000 malaria deaths this year, a mortality rate not seen in two decades.⁹

In the face of COVID-19, Okefu Oyale Okoko, deputy director of the National Malaria Elimination Programme in Nigeria, said it would still be important to ensure continuing deployment of vector control interventions to not only sustain gains in malaria elimination, but ensure against its resurgence.

According to a report in The (London) Telegraph, researchers concluded that treating children with fever as if they have malaria, even if not diagnosed with the disease, could save nearly 200,000 lives. And, of course, prompt distribution of bed nets could prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths.

When final statistics are available, researchers from the Imperial College of London predict if control programs were halted due to COVID-19, the number of cases during 2020 could double compared to 2019. In Nigeria alone, they said cutting treatment and delaying the distribution of bed nets could result in 81,000 additional deaths.

James Whiting, Chief Executive at Malaria No More UK, whose goal is to end deaths and suffering from malaria. Since 2000 deaths of the biggest killer disease in human history have been reduced by 60%, saving 7 million lives. But in the last few years malaria has started to rise again per WHO World Malaria Reports. Photo by Hope and Homes for Children

Typically distributed at community meetings, such gatherings to distribute bed nets faced interruptions over the last year because of event cancellations or poor attendance because of coronavirus fears.

Telegraph correspondent Anne Gulland wrote that researchers’ modeling found that provision of bed nets is critical since those treated with long-lasting insecticide have effects that continue for three years. More than half of the 47 countries most badly affected by the disease were due bed net distributions in 2020, with 228 million nets due to be handed out. That would have been the largest number ever.

James Whiting, executive director of Malaria No More UK, told the newspaper: “This important modelling is a reminder that efforts to end malaria sit on a knife edge. Protecting people against COVID-19 cannot be pursued in isolation. Governments must see maintaining efforts against malaria as a core part of pandemic preparedness or risk a catastrophic domino effect.”¹⁰

Soon after the Telegraph article, computer magnate turned philanthropist Bill Gates echoed the necessity of not allowing the pandemic to distract attention from the fight against mosquito-borne disease. The pesky insects are out infecting millions with a disease that kills a child every other minute daily, he wrote in his online blog.¹¹

In his lengthy report, [Okumu] observed that developers should, instead of overemphasizing the need for new insecticides, ensure that bed nets are accessible, durable and properly used, even if non-insecticidal.

Gates—head of the Gates Foundation, a key non-governmental organization fighting malaria’s spread—said lockdowns and other regulations made it difficult for health workers to provide prevention and treatment across Africa. He said there were also interruptions to supplies of essential malaria tools like bed nets and anti-malaria medicines. Instrumental in reducing malaria deaths by more than half since 2000, he said interruption of these services could mean mortality levels not seen since the turn of the century.

“There is not a choice between saving lives from COVID-19 versus saving lives from malaria,” Gates wrote. “The world must enable these countries to do both. Health officials urgently need to step up to the challenge of controlling the pandemic while also making sure that malaria, as well as other diseases like HIV and tuberculosis, are not neglected.”¹²

“The world has changed in ways we could never imagine,” observed Dr. Pedro Alonso, director of the WHO’s Global Malaria Programme, in a letter to malaria partners six months after lockdowns began. “As COVID-19 began its rapid spread earlier this year from China to Italy, and beyond, alarm bells began ringing across the malaria community. After taking such a devastating toll on countries with robust health systems, how would malaria-endemic countries in Africa prevail? Among colleagues at WHO, there was deep concern that the coronavirus had the potential to upend years—perhaps decades—of progress in malaria control.”¹³

What can we do about mosquito-driven scourges? »

Read the rest of this Gospel for Asia – Transforming Communities (GFA World) Special Report: Malaria Makes Comeback Amid Pandemic — Part 2

About GFA World

Read more blogs on GFA World, Malaria, Mosquito Nets and the COVID 19 Pandemic on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

Learn more by reading this Special Report from Gospel for Asia: Winning the Ancient Conflict Between Man and Mosquito — Know Your Enemy or Succumb to Vector-borne Diseases

KP Yohannan has issued two statements about the COVID-19 situation found here and here.

GFA’s Statement About Coronavirus

Notable News about Gospel for Asia: FoxNews, ChristianPost, NYPost, MissionsBox

Read what 24 Christian Leaders are affirming about Gospel for Asia.

This Special Report originally appeared on gfa.org.

Gospel For Asia’s Bridge of Hope Provides Bright Future for Young Girl

Last updated on: December 8, 2022 at 2:44 pm By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by K.P. Yohannan, whose heart to love and help the poor has inspired numerous charities like Gospel for Asia Canada, to serve the deprived and downcast worldwide – Discussing Acenath, her widow mother and their impoverished family, the struggles of poverty and malnutrition, and Gospel for Asia’s Bridge of Hope that provides a bright future for the young girl and many like her.

Acenath’s life changed drastically at the young age of 3 when her father died of a heart attack. Her mother—grieving the loss of her husband—spiraled into a mental illness that kept her from caring for her family, which left Acenath and her older sister, Eilise, dependent on their aging grandmother and the kindness of their uncle and aunt for survival.

Barely Surviving

Discussing Acenath, her widow mother, their impoverished family, the poverty, malnutrition, & Gospel for Asia's Bridge of Hope that provides a bright future — Like this young girl, Acenath is grateful for every blessing she’s received since she began attending GFA’s Bridge of Hope program, and she takes great care of her belongings.

Before his death, Acenath’s father worked the family’s farmland to provide for his family’s needs. With his passing and the incapacity of Acenath’s mother, Acenath’s uncle and aunt took over the farm. While they gave a portion of the farm’s produce to Acenath’s family, they kept much of the food for themselves in payment for their work. The small portion left over was not enough for Acenath’s family’s survival. The girl’s grandmother, Taran, worked long hours in neighboring fields to help provide for her granddaughters’ needs. Acenath and her sister were surviving, but barely.

Besides her nutritional needs, Acenath desperately needed the love of her parents. Unfortunately, her mother was emotionally and physically unavailable. She often kept to herself and did not speak. At times, the distressed mother couldn’t even recognize her daughters, and when she did speak, she treated them harshly. Acenath could no longer remember her father’s face.

Disheveled and malnourished, the two sisters trudged to school each day, wearing proof of their family’s destitution on their young shoulders and gaunt faces. Recognizing their impoverished situation, Acenath and Eilise painstakingly cared for their scant belongings—a single school uniform, which they washed every day, and two dresses apiece. The few school supplies they did own came from their uncle and aunt in response to the pleas of their grandmother. Tears often stained the girls’ cheeks as they mourned their lack of life’s basic necessities.

A Passionate Plea for Help

When Acenath was in fourth grade, staff members from GFA’s Bridge of Hope Program came to visit their students in her neighborhood. Upon seeing the staff members, Taran hurried out to meet them, begging for an opportunity for her granddaughters to attend Bridge of Hope, which she knew could provide the help she needed to take care of Acenath and Eilise. The tears streaming down her cheeks reinforced the desperation of her cries.

Moved by Taran’s passionate request and the family’s long-time struggle, the staff members offered to enroll Acenath. The day Acenath began attending Bridge of Hope was an unforgettable moment. Though she approached the door timidly, Acenath was grateful for the opportunity and knew her life was about to change for the better.

The center provided her with a school uniform, shoes and school supplies. Acenath also received toiletries for proper hygiene, medical checkups and nutritious meals. Her health, studies and hope for a better life all improved rapidly. The bright look on her face, the high grades in her studies and the evidence of her budding personality all bore testimony to the positive impact of Bridge of Hope on Acenath’s life.

Gospel for Asia’s Bridge of Hope Brings Hope for the Future

Acenath wasn’t the only one who benefited from Bridge of Hope. She shared the resources she received from the center with her older sister, Eilise. Together, they began to cook and care for their grandmother as she grew older. Sometimes, the three attended the local church together and welcomed the continued prayers of the pastor for their family.

“Even if Eilise did not get admission, she gets some help through Acenath, which is very much enough for me,” Taran said. “My grandchild’s life is settled. I [don’t have enough words] to express my thanks for the love and kind hearts of the staff here. … My children will always be grateful to this institution.”

While Acenath is still concerned for her mother and saddened by the passing of her father, she is grateful for the love she’s received from her family, her tutors at Bridge of Hope and God.

Acenath now looks to the future with hope. She dreams of becoming a teacher and providing children with the education she has been blessed to receive.

Read how Bridge of Hope helped another grandmother care for her two granddaughters.

*Names of people and places may have been changed for privacy and security reasons. Images are Gospel for Asia World stock photos used for representation purposes and are not the actual person/location, unless otherwise noted.

Source: Gospel for Asia Field Reports & Updates, GFA’s Bridge of Hope Provides Bright Future for Young Girl

Learn more about the GFA World Bridge of Hope program and how you can make an incredible difference in the lives of children, bringing hope to their lives and their families, transforming communities.

Read more on Poverty and Bridge of Hope on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

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Gospel For Asia’s Sisters of Compassion Launch Slum Ministry for Those in Need

Last updated on: June 9, 2021 at 8:31 pm By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by K.P. Yohannan, has been the model for numerous charities like Gospel for Asia Canada, to help the poor and deprived worldwide – Discussing the GFA Church and Gospel For Asia Sisters of Compassion that launched slum ministry to bring help and compassion to those in need.

Discussing the GFA Church and Gospel For Asia Sisters of Compassion that launched slum ministry to bring help and compassion to those in need. — Slum life is very difficult. But because of the Sisters of Compassion, individuals who would normally go without, like the children pictured, have access to health and hygiene supplies, vitamin supplements, and proper nutrition.

People living in slums often struggle to find food and maintain good health. Most of the men are daily laborers, making just enough money to survive, and many wrestle with alcohol and drug addictions. Children often endure illiteracy and malnourishment.

The millions of people residing in slums are at greater risk for starvation and disease.^[1] Many of these individuals do not receive proper care, nutrition or attention. But through ministries like Gospel for Asia (GFA), such people are treated as what they are: beloved children of God.

Nourishment for the Needy

One day, a local Gospel for Asia (GFA) church and Sisters of Compassion organized a special program to distribute food packets and vitamin supplements to 500 slum residents in the area. This event was the start of GFA’s slum ministry in this area, enabling both current and future residents to have access to essential health and hygiene supplies and loving, supportive friends. Special guests such as Pabla, a local official, and Dr. Abelard, an orthopedic surgeon and medical school professor, provided advice, prayer and encouragement before the distribution.

Seeing the compassion and care emanating from those leading the event, Pabla said, “The heartbeat of the church is similar to our government for the welfare of the state.”

Dr. Abelard provided health and hygiene tips, which brought much joy and excitement to the attendees.

In addition to receiving food packets and vitamin-A supplements, attendees also received the invaluable gifts of compassion and kindness. Quanah, a lame man who attended the event, expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the Sisters of Compassion and the care they showed him and the other people living in the slum.

“This is the first time I have experienced the love of people in my life,” Quanah said. “Now I understand that there are people who love the poor and needy.”

Many others voiced their thankfulness and asked for prayer.

Through events like these, as well as everyday love and care, the Sisters of Compassion are helping some of the most downtrodden people. And for individuals living in the slums, a caring word and compassionate friend are just as nourishing and needed as food packets and vitamin supplements.

Read how the Sisters of Compassion helped Ganitha emerge out of her trials and into triumph.

^[1] BMC International Health and Human Rights, Slum health: Diseases of neglected populations

Source: Gospel for Asia Field Reports & Updates, Sisters of Compassion Launch Slum Ministry for Those in Need

Learn more about the Sisters of Compassion – those who are specially trained woman missionary with a deep burden for showing Christ’s love by physically serving the needy, underprivileged and poor.

Learn more about the need for slum ministry, uplifting the lives of slum dwellers. Gospel for Asia began supporting ministry in the slums in 1999. Through this work, many people have found hope and strength in God.

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GFA World (Gospel for Asia) New Report: ‘Other Vaccine Shot The World’s Waiting For’

Last updated on: June 9, 2021 at 8:28 pm By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – GFA World founded by K.P. Yohannan, which inspired numerous charities like GFA World Canada, to assist the poor and deprived worldwide: Millions around the world are still waiting to get a life-saving vaccine — and it’s not the COVID-19 shot.

Human trials of a new malaria vaccine are underway, with promising initial results, according to new report by humanitarian agency GFA World — **THE ‘OTHER VACCINE SHOT THE WORLD’S WAITING FOR:’** Human trials of a new malaria vaccine are underway, with promising initial results, according to a new report by humanitarian agency GFA World (formerly Gospel for Asia) that coincides with World Malaria Day, April 25.

Human trials of a new malaria vaccine are underway, with promising initial results, according to a new report by humanitarian agency Gospel for Asia (GFA World) that coincides with World Malaria Day, April 25, an annual event.

The quest to develop an effective malaria vaccine — a shot that could save millions of lives — has proved difficult and is still ongoing.

“Malaria is one of the most rampant child-killers in the world today,” said K.P. Yohannan, founder of Texas-based Gospel for Asia (GFA World), formerly Gospel for Asia. “For countless millions across Africa, Asia and other parts of the world, an effective vaccine against malaria would be like a dream.”

COVID ‘Stalls Malaria Fight’

But with the world laser-focused on the global COVID-19 pandemic, efforts to wipe out malaria have stalled, the report says.

Lockdowns and other restrictions have essentially halted malaria-fighting efforts in dozens of countries, leading to fears of a sharp increase in malaria deaths in 2021 — likely a death toll of hundreds of thousands in sub-Saharan Africa.

Malaria — an often-fatal sickness spread by infected mosquitoes — claims nearly half a million lives around the world every year, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, and is “humanity’s most deadly infectious disease,” according to GFA World’s report.

A new experimental vaccine developed using mosquito spit has shown promise in early studies, says the just-released report, Malaria Makes Comeback Amid A Pandemic.

The vaccine — a possible breakthrough in the hunt for an effective malaria shot — has triggered a “strong immune response” in volunteers during trials so far, producing “only minor side effects,” the report says.

Until an effective vaccine comes out, the main weapon in the fight against malaria is the insecticide-treated mosquito net.

Recent studies suggest insecticide-treated nets may no longer be as effective in some parts of the world where a new breed of “super mosquito” has built up resistance.

But they’re still “critical” to curbing the spread of malaria globally, says Gospel for Asia (GFA World).

‘Such A Kind Of Love’

“Over the past decade, we’ve distributed more than 1.3 million nets — costing just $10 each — across Asia, and they’ve proved to be lifesavers,” said Yohannan, whose faith-based organization also stages free medical camps. “It’s one way of being the hands and feet of Christ — and showing God’s love — to those who suffer the most in our world.”

Father-of-three Baharupa couldn’t believe it when Gospel for Asia (GFA World) gave away mosquito nets in his malaria-prone village. “Who (would) give us mosquito nets without (asking for) money?” he said. “I’ve never seen such a kind of love.”

About GFA World

GFA World (formerly known as Gospel for Asia) is a leading faith-based global mission agency, helping national workers bring vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across the world, especially in Asia and Africa, and sharing the love of God. In GFA World’s latest yearly report, this included thousands of community development projects that benefit downtrodden families and their children, free medical camps conducted in more than 1,200 villages and remote communities, over 4,800 clean water wells drilled, over 12,000 water filters installed, income-generating Christmas gifts for more than 260,000 needy families, and teaching providing hope and encouragement available in 110 languages in 14 nations through radio ministry. In the years ahead, GFA World expects to launch programs in numerous African nations, starting with compassion projects in Rwanda. For all the latest news, visit our Press Room at https://press.gfa.org/news.

Media interested in interviews with GFA World should contact Gregg Wooding at InChrist Communications @ 972-567-7660 or [email protected]

Read more on Malaria and the COVID 19 Pandemic on Patheos from GFA World.

Notable News about Gospel for Asia: FoxNews, ChristianPost, NYPost, MissionsBox

Source: GFA World Press Room, GFA World — Formerly Gospel for Asia — Spotlights ‘Other Vaccine Shot The World’s Waiting For’

How Gospel for Asia’s Gift of a Bicycle Changed a Man’s Life

Last updated on: January 8, 2025 at 4:14 am By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by K.P. Yohannan, which inspired numerous charities like Gospel for Asia Canada, to assist the poor and deprived worldwide – Discussing GFA Pastor Lanzo, a national worker traveling on foot visiting many villages to share the love of Jesus, and the Gospel for Asia gift of a bicycle that became a channel of transformation and change.

Discussing a national missionary travelling on foot who visits many villages to share Jesus, and the Gospel for Asia gift of a bicycle that brought change. — The gift of a bicycle, like this one, helped Pastor Lanzo traverse rugged terrain and share the message of hope with Teetonka. Man on bicycle that was a gift from Gospel for Asia (GFA) gift distribution.

Gospel for Asia (GFA) pastor Lanzo mounted his bicycle, prepared for the hour-long journey before him. He pedaled through jungle and thick woods, only stopping to get off his bicycle and carry it over the shallow, washed-out roads. Though his trip was difficult, Pastor Lanzo was motivated by his love for the villagers he was traveling to see; that love propelled his bicycle through the most difficult segments of his journey. The people needed his help—and the hope found in Jesus.

Gift of a Bicycle Meets A Village in Need

Pastor Lanzo ministered in a small village and prayed that one day he would be able to visit many other villages to share Jesus’ love with others. His primary form of transportation, however, was walking, which often made visiting other villages quite difficult. Pastor Lanzo longed for a bicycle, which would make traveling much easier and more villages accessible.

When Pastor Lanzo received a bicycle through a Gospel for Asia (GFA) Christmas gift distribution, it was an answer to prayer. He immediately began visiting and sharing God’s love with nearby villages that had been too far to travel to on foot. One village he visited contained only 15 houses and had no proper roads. But Pastor Lanzo knew that, despite the few houses, the people of this village still needed love, care and encouragement. So with the help of his new bicycle, he traversed the treacherous roads to bring Jesus’ message of hope to the people who needed it.

Critic’s Heart Opened Through Dreams

One day, Pastor Lanzo met a 65-year-old man named Teetonka in this remote village.

Teetonka had a wife, three sons and one daughter. He and his family worked in the fields doing jhum cultivation for their livelihood, a type of agriculture comprising a “slash-and-burn” technique and frequent moves to different locations for harvesting.

All Teetonka’s life he had faithfully participated in the traditional religion. He had never heard about Jesus—nor did he want to.

Pastor Lanzo was not welcome in Teetonka’s village—at least not around the older man— and Teetonka made sure he knew that. Whenever he’d see the pastor, Teetonka would criticize him and God.

Pastor Lanzo remained steadfast throughout the opposition, continuing to show God’s love to Teetonka and the other villagers through word and deed. And then something unexpected happened.

“I believe you have God-given power,” Teetonka told the pastor one day.

This wasn’t Teetonka’s usual tirade.

“Whenever I speak words against you and Christianity,” the older man continued, “I used to see a bad dream. Is this magic?”

Pastor Lanzo immediately understood the Holy Spirit had been working in Teetonka’s heart and explained God’s mysterious ways to the mystified man.

Teetonka listened intently to the pastor share about life in Christ. He even allowed Pastor Lanzo to pray for him and visit his house.

Teetonka’s understanding of Jesus and life in Him deepened. Before long, Teetonka put his trust in Jesus and experienced God’s love for himself.

Hope for His Family

Teetonka could not make the six-mile journey to attend Pastor Lanzo’s church, but because of his bicycle, Pastor Lanzo was able to continue visiting and praying with Teetonka regularly. Encouraged in his spirit by learning about God’s love, Teetonka shared Jesus with his family members, too, encouraging them with the message of hope found through Jesus. And though his family remained firm in their faith and his fellow villagers opposed what he had to say, Teetonka remained hopeful that God would open their hearts, just as God had done in his own heart.

“I have hope,” Teetonka said, “that my family members and villagers will come to Jesus Christ one day.”

Read how a bicycle built Shakurah’s faith.

Source: Gospel for Asia Field Reports & Updates, How the Gift of a Bicycle Changed a Man’s Life

Learn more how to demonstrate God’s love through the gift of a Bicycle — to Missionaries, school children, farmers and daily laborers. Through these gifts, people experience Christ’s love.

Learn more about the GFA World national workers who carry a burning desire for people to know the love of God. Through their prayers, dedication and sacrificial love, thousands of men and women have found new life in Christ.

Notable News about Gospel for Asia: FoxNews, ChristianPost, NYPost, MissionsBox

Pull Cart Received at Gospel for Asia Gift Distribution Provides Father with Way to Feed His Family

Last updated on: June 9, 2021 at 8:23 pm By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by K.P. Yohannan, has been the model for numerous charities like Gospel for Asia Canada, to help the poor and deprived worldwide – Discussing Santon, the struggles of his family in the midst of generational poverty, and the pull cart received from Gospel for Asia Gift Distribution that provides a way to feed his family.

Yet another customer had cheated him his pay, and there was nothing Santon could do but continue working, selling his wares. This was not the first time Santon had not received money for the fruit and vegetables he sold, nor would it be the last. All the man wanted was to provide for his wife and four children. Being frauded out of his earnings made it almost impossible—and frustrating.

A Life Without Peace

Discussing Santon, the struggles of poverty, and the pull cart received from Gospel for Asia Gift Distribution that provides a way to feed his family. — Santon and his wife and son, pictured here, stand with the pull cart Santon received at a Gospel for Asia gift distribution. The cart helped Santon earn enough money to ensure his family is taken care of.

Santon was familiar with hardship; he had known it for most of his life. Born into a poor family, Santon was forced to drop out of school in fifth grade because his parents could no longer afford to send him to school. Santon joined his father working daily labor jobs.

When he was old enough, Santon left home with one desire: to provide for his parents. For the next 14 years, Santon applied for job after job. Each application was rejected because of his lack of education. The only option left to him was returning to daily labor.

Eventually, Santon married and, with the birth of his children, had more mouths to feed. To better provide for his growing family, Santon decided to sell fruits and vegetables door to door. Hopefully, it would be better than daily labor. Hopefully, he could send some money to his parents.

But Santon quickly discovered it wasn’t that simple. Customers cheated him daily, not paying him the proper amount for his wares. Also, Santon had nowhere to safely and properly store his fruits and vegetables. The money Santon had invested into this venture was not returning. On top of that, their baby daughter had been diagnosed with polio. Everything was going wrong, and Santon didn’t know what to do but quit.

Relief for a Father’s Burdens

Santon was on the verge of giving up his dreams. Maybe he should just return to daily labor. It wasn’t much, but at least it was a living. And he didn’t have to deal with cheating customers.

Then Santon heard of a place that might be able to help him and got in touch with Gospel for Asia (GFA) workers at the local Bridge of Hope.

After the Gospel for Asia (GFA) workers listened to Santon share the burdens weighing on him, they knew what to do. They invited him to a gift distribution, where they provided him with a cart for selling a variety of cosmetic items. Through the cart, Santon made money to provide for his family, and even earned enough to send back to his parents—a dream at long last realized. Santon thanked the staff, grateful he finally had a decent source of income and could provide for his family.

The Bridge of Hope staff also asked if Santon would like to enroll one of his sons at the center, where he could obtain what Santon himself had never completed: an education.

Santon heartily agreed, thankful that his family’s survival had been ensured through the cart, and its future had been cemented in Santon’s son attending the center. The schooling Santon’s son received would enable him to get jobs Santon was turned away from, ending the hold poverty had over their family.

Read a story of how piglets chased poverty away from a family.

Source: Gospel for Asia Field Reports & Updates, Pull Cart Provides Father with Way to Feed His Family

Learn more about how generosity can change lives. Through Gospel for Asia (GFA World) and its Christmas Gift Catalog, gifts like pigs, bicycles and sewing machines break the cycle of poverty and show Christ’s love to impoverished families in Asia. One gift can have a far-reaching impact, touching families and rippling out to transform entire communities.

Learn more by reading these Special Reports from Gospel for Asia:

Fighting Global Poverty with Ideas – Uprooting poverty requires education that transmits values
Poverty: Public Enemy #1 – Eliminating Extreme Poverty Worldwide is Possible, But Not Inevitable

Notable News about Gospel for Asia: FoxNews, ChristianPost, NYPost, MissionsBox

Gospel for Asia Launches First-Ever Mission into Africa

Last updated on: June 24, 2025 at 12:18 am By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – GFA World founded by K.P. Yohannan, whose heart to love and help the poor has inspired numerous charities like GFA World Canada, to serve the deprived and downcast worldwide, one of the largest mission agencies in the world, is launching compassion projects in Africa (http://www.gfa.org/press/intoAfrica) for the first time — a huge boost for humanitarian efforts in the world’s poorest continent.

GFA World, formerly known as Gospel for Asia, expects to begin work in multiple African nations this year.

GFA World is launching compassion projects in Africa for the 1st time, a huge boost for humanitarian efforts in the world's poorest continent — **GOSPEL FOR ASIA LAUNCHES IN AFRICA:** GFA World, formerly known as Gospel for Asia, is launching compassion projects in Africa (http://www.gfa.org/press/intoAfrica) for the first time — a huge boost for humanitarian efforts in the world’s poorest continent. (Jeremy Bishop/Unsplash)

“Africa is where the tears never dry,” said Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founder K.P. Yohannan, announcing the launch of compassion projects in Rwanda, a mountainous nation in east-central Africa still recovering from the war and genocide that left 800,000 dead and ripped the country apart in the 1990s.

“Everything we do focuses on bringing real hope and the love of God to those who’ve lost all hope,” said Yohannan, author of the best-selling book Revolution in World Missions, with more than four million copies in print.

To begin with, GFA World’s efforts — supported by the Rwandan Government, church leaders and their congregations — will help children living in slum neighborhoods in the nation’s capital, Kigali, where most people survive on less than two dollars a day.

“We appreciate the open door we’ve been given to start saving lives and serving the poor in Rwanda,” said Yohannan.

Africa ‘Compassion Surge’

The organization plans a surge of compassion and healthcare projects across Africa, including deploying Sisters of Compassion workers — trained women missionaries who serve widows, orphans and those living in leprosy colonies.

“We’re looking at the whole continent, and one of our goals is to help tens of thousands of children (in Africa),” said Yohannan, whose organization already provides educational opportunities for thousands of children through its child sponsorship programs across Asia.

“About half of Africa’s population is under the age of 15, and the average life expectancy is 50,” he said. “This fact makes the desperate urgency to preach the gospel to millions while we have time still to do it. They are waiting — they are dying.”

As Gospel for Asia (GFA World) expands in Africa, the mission agency also plans to introduce its trademark “Jesus Wells” — bringing clean water to villages and undeveloped communities where children and families drink contaminated water straight from filthy ponds.

Caring For Millions In Need

Started by missions pioneer Yohannan in 1979, Gospel for Asia (GFA World) quickly grew into one of the biggest faith-based humanitarian organizations in the world, helping millions of the world’s extreme poor by equipping local churches to care for those in desperate need.

In Africa, Gospel for Asia (GFA World) plans to train indigenous workers in Rwanda and other countries to serve their own people, following its highly effective Asia model.

With their grasp of the local culture and languages, the organization’s national workers have helped transform life for those in more than 12,000 parishes and communities across Asia in nations, such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India.

While slums are often associated with Asia’s megacities — featured in movies such as Slumdog Millionaire — it’s African countries that have the highest percentage of slum dwellers. More than nine out of every 10 people in South Sudan, Central African Republic and Sudan live in slums.

“We aim to be servants to everyone, showing them Christ through our lifestyle,” said Yohannan. “Jesus told his disciples to change the world — and as we expand into Africa, that’s our calling too. We want to bring hope and healing as His hands and feet to the whole world.”

“After all is said and done, the only real answer to the chaos in this world is Jesus Christ. Our focus remains even sharper today — to preach the gospel by all means and establish the church, which is the agent of change for time and eternity.”

About GFA World

Media interested in interviews with GFA World should contact Gregg Wooding at InChrist Communications @ 972-567-7660 or [email protected]

Notable News about Gospel for Asia: FoxNews, ChristianPost, NYPost, MissionsBox

Source: GFA World Press Room, Gospel for Asia — Now GFA World — Launches its First-Ever Mission in Africa