Gospel for Asia Announces a Surprising Antidote to World Poverty: Farm Animals | Special Report Part 2

Last updated on: March 12, 2023 at 12:09 am By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – GFA World (Gospel for Asia) 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, issued this second part of a Special Report on a surprising antidote and solution to world poverty: farm animals.

This woman received the gift of a goat that would help lift up her family from generational poverty — Farm animals, like the goats shown above, can help a poor family in a variety of beneficial ways: 1. They provide milk for nourishment; 2. They typically breed and multiply providing young that can be sold off for income or used to increase the size of the herd.

Breaking the Cycle of Poverty with a Cow

Taden’s story is typical of the kind of transformation a single animal can make in a family’s life.^[6] As a laborer in a poor Asian community, Taden had few options and little hope. He despaired to think his children would have to endure the same multi-generational poverty he had inherited.

“I couldn’t afford a very nice life for my family,” he recalls, “and I used to feel very angry at myself at times, very sad with myself because of the situation I was in.”

A local pastor saw Taden’s plight and arranged for him to receive a cow, funded by Gospel for Asia (GFA World).

“We were really overjoyed,” Taden recalls, “because we did not have anything in our house to call our own. But we felt that if we got the cow, we could really improve our lives.”

Soon, the cow gave birth and began producing milk. Taden and his family began milking the cow twice daily and selling the milk. That enabled them to meet their basic needs and do something that would have been unimaginable before: send their children to school. The cycle of poverty, which seemed so unbreakable for so long, was finally ending.

Now, with two cows in his possession, Taden began to think entrepreneurially.

A gift of a cow helps lift Taden's family from poverty — A gift of a cow grew into a means out of poverty for Taden and his family. They now have a cow, five goats, and hopeful plans for the future.

“I had observed others who were raising goats,” he says, “and I came to know that the goats bear kids once every five months.”

Seeing a potential second source of income, Taden sold one of the cows and bought a pair of goats. They soon gave birth to two kids, which Lavish sold, earning as much as he would have made in six months of working. Now, he could afford new clothes and schoolbooks for his kids. Life was looking up at last. Taden was overcome with gratitude.

“I would like to thank those who have helped me get the cow as a gift,” he says. “My life has definitely been blessed 100 percent.”

World Vision, another NGO, has refined the practice of providing microloans—funds that help aspiring farmers and entrepreneurs get started in their chosen enterprises. The amount needed to begin a thriving business in a developing country can be astonishingly small compared to Western standards. And for many, it all starts with the acquisition of a single animal.

A woman received the gift of a water buffalo, a game changer for her family trapped in debilitating poverty. — The gift of even just one animal can be a complete game changer for a family trapped in debilitating poverty. They get a source of income along with hope for a better future for them and their family and the knowledge that they are seen and loved.

Like World Vision, Heifer International leverages support from governments and private organizations along with individual donations to create opportunities for aspiring farmers. The organization recognizes that “ending poverty begins with agriculture” and works to build “inclusive, resilient economies” in the areas it serves.^[7]

For over 40 years, Gospel for Asia (GFA World) has been serving people’s physical and spiritual needs. Now active in 18 Asian countries, Gospel for Asia (GFA World) has also recently begun ministering in Africa. Along with providing animals for families, Gospel for Asia (GFA World) missionaries serve the community through providing things like educational opportunities for children, vocational training and resources for life. In water-starved regions of Asia, Gospel for Asia (GFA World) installs wells using local labor, and trains the local pastor and congregation on how to maintain them for the long term.

Like other similar organizations, Gospel for Asia (GFA World) offers donors a range of suggested gift amounts, which can provide chickens for a needy family or improve an entire village. It describes the cows, goats, pigs, lambs and chickens as “income-producing animals,” which affirms their real purpose of providing ongoing, sustainable food or financial resources for the family. Donors can feel confident they’re providing more than a few meals for the families they help. Their gifts can actually spark a permanent change for people who just need a helping hand to get a fresh start.

Faith-based organizations help their recipients create prosperous family enterprises, often starting with a single cow or goat. The goal is not a quick fix, but a long-term program that can lift families out of poverty for good.

Relief agencies that work in the developing world recognize that providing live, useful farm animals to people in need is more effective than simply giving money. With that well-established principle in mind, they can approach potential donors with a simple, attractive proposition. “Donate a goat” is a straightforward message with immediate appeal to those who want to help the less fortunate. For a gift as small as $140, a donor can provide a family with two goats that will help lift them out of destitution. Those who give can feel confident their contributions are providing real, lasting benefits to real people.

Bishop Danny Punnose - Vice President, GFA World — Bishop Danny Punnose Vice President, GFA World

For these nonprofits, helping people defeat poverty is a tangible expression of their faith. “God’s love must be demonstrated in more ways than just through words,” says Bishop Danny Punnose of GFA World. “It must be seen, felt and experienced! Providing these life changing gifts to these precious people who are in great need is an opportunity for us to love them practically and see their lives lifted out of their hopeless state.”

If obtaining an animal seems like an unlikely way to achieve success, it’s important to remember what the alternatives are for the poorest of the poor. They often work as day laborers, barely making a subsistence wage—when they can find work at all. Some will resort to picking through garbage for food and usable items. And for others, the sex trade is a cruel option of last resort. But with even a few animals, those same people can enjoy a wide range of new opportunities.

The first benefit is having enough food to eat—which is always an urgent priority for the desperately poor. Besides the meat they provide, cows and goats supply nutrient-rich milk that can sustain an entire family and more. And when animals begin to reproduce, things change dramatically. Families can sell their animals or the meat. Then, with a surplus of funds, they can begin to consider things that would have been out of reach before, such as health care and medicine. Family members who were incapacitated by disease can become productive again. The children can go to school instead of being condemned to a lifetime of manual labor. Families can improve their dwellings and acquire amenities that make life tolerable—even enjoyable—instead of miserable. In other words, they can begin to experience the enhanced quality of life that people in the developed world routinely expect. With their basic needs met, they can start to focus time and attention on more rewarding pursuits. Instead of a cycle of poverty, they can enter a cycle of prosperity. And, perhaps for the first time, life can seem worthwhile.

This woman received a gift of a cow that would help provide income for her family amid generational poverty — Trapped in generational poverty, many families have no way out and their children may be forced to work at a young age just to survive. A gift of an animal can provide things like milk, eggs, help in the field, meat, and offspring to sell. The family now has an income – a way to grow and expand, sources of nutrition, a means for the children to go to school, and HOPE.

Creating a Manageable Menagerie

A family’s choice of animals to raise depends on several factors: resources, land area, topography, market conditions and climate, to name a few. For farmers with access to large areas of land, cows provide a viable source of meat, milk and income. The farmers can breed the cows, use some of them for food, and sell others in the marketplace. Raising cattle has been a profitable enterprise for people the world over, and with good reason. A lactating cow can produce up to six or seven gallons of milk per day.^[8] And a single 1,200-lb. steer can yield an astonishing 490 pounds of edible meat.^[9] Clearly, owning even one cow can change life drastically for a struggling family.

For those with limited land or capital, goats can be an ideal option. They require a smaller area than cattle and can forage virtually anywhere—on anything. Farmers who can’t afford a cow may be able to purchase a goat with limited funds and begin their journey to prosperity. Nanny goats can bear several kids in a year, allowing for a quick expansion of the herd. In India, an adult goat can sell for an amount equal to an entire month’s income for many people.^[10] Although goat meat is not yet popular in the United States, it is actually a good source of clean, nutritious protein, being lower in saturated fat and cholesterol than chicken, beef or pork.^[11] And goats are relatively easy to raise, requiring little in the way of maintenance. For many families, their escape from poverty begins with a humble goat.

Give Animals to Help Poor Families in Need »

If you want to help impoverished families with a gift that can provide them life-saving income for many years to come, consider a one-time donation to give farm animals – a surprising antidote to overcoming persistent poverty.

Read the rest of this Gospel for Asia – Transforming Communities (GFA World) Special Report: A Surprising Antidote to World Poverty: Farm Animals — Part 1, Part 3

About GFA World

Gospel for Asia (GFA World) 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. GFA World has launched programs in Africa, starting with compassion projects in Rwanda. For all the latest news, visit our Press Room at https://gfanews.org/news.

Learn more about how the simple gift of an income-generating animal can be the turning point for an impoverished family—one their family has likely been desiring for generations.

GFA’s Statement About Coronavirus

Learn more by reading this Special Report from Gospel for Asia: Fighting Global Poverty with Ideas — Uprooting poverty requires education that transmits values

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

Read what 25 Christian Leaders are affirming about GFA World.

This Special Report originally appeared on gfa.org.

GFA & Believers Eastern Church Brings the Joy of Christmas

Last updated on: January 7, 2025 at 9:43 pm By GFA Staff Writer

STONEY CREEK, ONTARIO – One of the core values of GFA World (Gospel for Asia) founded by K.P. Yohannan, has been the model for numerous charities like GFA World Canada, is being a people who work together with the body of Christ. In the week of November 15-22, 2021, GFA World was able to demonstrate this value by partnering with Believers Eastern Church and Samaritan’s Purse to share the joy of Christmas with children around the world by participating in the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child National Collection Week as a shoebox collection center.

Operation Christmas Child (OCC) is a project of Samaritan’s Purse that is a hands-on way Canadians can bless struggling children around the world by filling shoeboxes with school supplies, hygiene items, and toys. Each and every gift is an opportunity for a child to hear that God loves them, and many shoeboxes have met real and specific needs in children’s lives, showing them how much God cares for them. For many of these children, the gift-filled shoebox is the first gift they have ever received.

Each of the shoebox gifts that was received at the Gospel for Asia (GFA World) office, located at 245 King St E in Stoney Creek, ON, during National Collection Week was lovingly packed by someone in the Stoney Creek community to bless a child in need. Local churches also participated as they encouraged their members and affiliates to pack shoeboxes and collected these gifts prior to and during the National Collection Week. These boxes were then brought to the collection center as the next step in being put into the hands of children in need. Shoeboxes from Canada will travel around the world to countries such as El Salvador, Costa Rica, Sierra Leone, and Gambia.

Though the Gospel for Asia (GFA World) office remains closed to visitors due to the current covid-19 restrictions, the staff have been faithfully serving those in need around the world in various ways from the office in Stoney Creek. The staff were excited to have this opportunity to partner with Believers Eastern Church – which shares a building with Gospel for Asia (GFA World) – Samaritan’s Purse, and the local community by serving as a collection center for OCC shoebox gifts.

2021 was the fourth year that Gospel for Asia (GFA World) has served as a collection center, and staff and church members joyfully volunteered their time in the evenings and weekends, braving the crisp and windy weather, to receive the shoeboxes. In order to follow local covid-19 guidelines, contactless and drive through drop off was available.

A total of 18 volunteers, ranging from age 12 to 69, volunteered over 50 hours, and 805 shoeboxes were collected from local churches and individuals. The boxes were carefully packed into cartons and then taken to Church of the Rock in Hamilton, Ontario, from whence they were shipped to Samaritan’s Purse’s Canadian ministry and shoebox processing center in Calgary, Alberta.

Since Operation Christmas Child began in 1993, more than 188 million children have received shoebox gifts in over 170 countries and territories. Gospel for Asia (GFA World) and Believers Eastern Church were honored to be a part of this incredible ministry to bring Good News and great joy to children around the world.

About Gospel for Asia – GFA World

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

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 about how to Help those in need amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, giving food and aid to Coronavirus victims.

GFA’s Statement About Coronavirus

Read more blogs on Poverty, Christmas Gift Catalog, the COVID 19 Pandemic on Patheos from GFA World.

Read what 25 Christian Leaders are affirming about GFA World.

Source: GFA World Digital Media News Room, GFA World and Believers Eastern Church Help Bring the Joy of Christmas to Children

Gospel for Asia Announces a Surprising Antidote to World Poverty: Farm Animals

Last updated on: September 29, 2023 at 5:07 am By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – GFA World (Gospel for Asia) founded by K.P. Yohannan, which has been the model for numerous charities like GFA World Canada, to help the poor and deprived worldwide, issued this first part of a 3-part Special Report on a surprising antidote and solution to world poverty: farm animals.

A family in poverty — Knowing nothing besides poverty, this poor family in harsh conditions in Asia represents the over 700 million who attempt to scratch out a living on less than $2 a day in earnings.

Recent decades have seen a general trend toward prosperity in much of the world, but too many people are still being left behind.^[1] Alleviating extreme poverty remains one of the most daunting challenges of our time. But for poor families, prosperity can come in surprising ways: through the gift of a farm animal.

Progress Interrupted

From 2015 to 2019, the number of people living in extreme poverty worldwide was projected to drop from 744 million to 655 million.^[2] The downward trend was on track to continue, but then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. In 2020, the projected number of people in extreme poverty shot back up to 732 million. For 2021, the projected number was marginally better at 711 million.

That means a population twice that of the United States still lacks even the most basic necessities of life. They can’t afford the simple improvements that would make life easier. They can’t access decent medical care. They can’t send their children to school. These are people who live on $1.90 or less per day, which is just enough to keep them alive until the next day. By contrast, many Americans spend nearly twice that much for their daily cup of coffee without giving it a second thought.

Mother and child trapped in generational poverty — This desperate Asian mother looks at her child with despair. Trapped in generational poverty, without many options for escape, this mother cannot provide a good future for her children, unless something occurs to alter their circumstances.

Poverty is present in all parts of the world, but is concentrated especially in Africa. Most of the 30 poorest countries in the world are in Africa, with Central African Republic, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo topping the list.^[3] Relentless war, political upheaval and public corruption have all contributed to the troubles in these nations, but drought, disease and poor farming methods are also to blame.

The countries of South Asia, with their huge populations, are only somewhat better off. One-third of the world’s poor live in this region, most of them in undeveloped rural areas.^[4] In recent years, industrial development and rising living standards in these countries inspired high hopes. But the COVID-19 epidemic hit Asian nations especially hard. The region was already afflicted with high poverty rates and inadequate infrastructure. Most people in Asia have only limited access to clean water, sanitation facilities or medical care. And the dense population has made it all but impossible for people to maintain the social distancing required to stem the effects of the pandemic. Predictably, these conditions led to a severe COVID-19 outbreak in India and other South Asian countries, necessitating lockdowns, which exacerbated the already-severe economic problems.^[5] As a result, the high hopes of many people were cruelly dashed.

A poor family from Himachal Pradesh — Poverty is present in all parts of the world, and this poor family from Himachal Pradesh is no exception. But there is a path out of persistent poverty, which includes the provision of farm animals which can multiply, to help families like these escape an endless cycle of generational impoverishment.

The Limits of Education

For those who remain impoverished—the poorest of the poor—what is the best way out? One answer is education. But for many in the developing world, pursuing and completing an education can seem almost unattainable. It may also feel of secondary importance to families struggling just to meet their immediate, everyday needs for food and shelter. People living in abject poverty have one priority: survival. Their daily agenda consists of finding enough food to live another day. And for those living in remote rural areas, even traveling to a place where education is available can be impractical at best.

But for many in the developing world, pursuing and completing an education can seem almost unattainable. It may also feel of secondary importance to families struggling just to meet their immediate, everyday needs for food and shelter. People living in abject poverty have one priority: survival. Their daily agenda consists of finding enough food to live another day. And for those living in remote rural areas, even traveling to a place where education is available can be impractical at best.

A woman in Uttar Pradesh blessed with two cows from GFA World gift distribution — Cows seem to be everywhere in India but many poor families don’t own one. Once acquired though, they can perform a variety of useful functions to benefit a family. In this photo, a woman in Uttar Pradesh is blessed to be able to use these two cows to thresh out the hay.

But there is a path to dynamic prosperity that relies on the inherent growth potential in nature. It is accessible to people even in the poorest, most remote regions. And it has been a reliable engine of wealth creation throughout human history. Instead of investing in stocks or real estate, people of any background in any locale can invest in animals.

That’s a strange notion to those of us whose only connection to the animal world is the pets on which we lavish our attention. We buy our meat, eggs and dairy products at a market, neatly dressed and packaged. We know someone somewhere is raising the cows and chickens that feed us, but we don’t give it much thought. And the fact that these people are able to earn a living from these farm animals also escapes our attention. Yet, the same growth principles that have sustained food producers in America can also lift poor families out of poverty in Asia or Africa.

The wonderful thing about animals (and all life forms) is that they grow and reproduce. With the right care and attention, they will increase and provide their owners with lasting benefits. Just as people in the developed world rely on financial investments for their security, people in less-developed regions can rely on farm animals for their security. And like a good equity fund, that investment can grow indefinitely.

Family received the gift of income generating goats — This family in Uttar Pradesh looks so happy! They received one goat three years ago in an animal distribution from Gospel for Asia (GFA World), and they now have eighteen goats! With a herd of goats this size, they’re able to sell goats as needed to stabilize their family’s finances. Plus, the goats provide milk for drinking and selling which enables them to secure many essentials for themselves that they could only dream about before.

Animals as a Sign of Blessing

A little girl and an income generating gift of a goat — Goats are hardy animals and flourish in the Asian climate. A single female goat can produce seven to nine goats in just two years and generates plenty of milk to drink and sell. The gift of a goat, given with the love of Jesus, is a great way to bring joy into a poor family’s world.

In the ancient world, wealth was often measured in terms of livestock. The Bible notes that “Abram [later Abraham] was very rich in livestock” (Gen. 13:2). This was confirmed by his servant, who declared, “The Lord has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great; and He has given him flocks and herds” (Gen. 24:35). Abraham’s knack for prosperity was also shared by his son Isaac, who “became very prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds” (Gen. 26:13b-14a).

In the Bible, the increase of one’s livestock was recognized as a blessing from God. That belief is shared by the many faith-based groups that now provide animals for people living in poverty. Gospel for Asia (GFA World), World Vision, Compassion International, Lutheran World Relief, Samaritan’s Purse, and SIM are among the agencies that provide people in poor rural areas with goats, cows, chickens, pigs and other productive animals to help impoverished people succeed. They also offer guidance to help the recipients properly care for their animals. The farming innovations that have enhanced yields in the developed countries can be applied with great success in poorer ones. Most importantly, faith-based organizations help their recipients create prosperous family enterprises, often starting with a single cow or goat. The goal is not a quick fix, but a long-term program that can lift families out of poverty for good.

Give Animals to Help Poor Families in Need »

Read the rest of this Gospel for Asia – Transforming Communities (GFA World) Special Report: A Surprising Antidote to World Poverty: Farm Animals — Part 2, Part 3

About GFA World

Learn more about how the simple gift of an income-generating animal can be the turning point for an impoverished family—one their family has likely been desiring for generations.

GFA’s Statement About Coronavirus

Learn more by reading this Special Report from Gospel for Asia: Fighting Global Poverty with Ideas — Uprooting poverty requires education that transmits values

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

Read what 25 Christian Leaders are affirming about GFA World.

This Special Report originally appeared on gfa.org.

GFA Gifted Mosquito Net Saves Mother from Deadly Encounter

Last updated on: January 7, 2025 at 10:00 pm 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 Karinya and her family, the devastation brought about by illness, loss and poverty, and the GFA World gift distribution of a mosquito net that brought relief and hope.

Discussing Karinya and her family, the loss and poverty, and the GFA World gift distribution of a mosquito net that brought relief and hope. — A thin net like this one was the only barrier between Karinya and her son and a deadly snake.

When their eldest son, Slavomir, was diagnosed with epilepsy, life changed drastically for Karinya and Dalibor. The parents devoted their time and finances to keeping their son alive. However, after years of battling the illness—and a period of peace from seizures—epilepsy eventually claimed Slavomir’s life.

Karinya and Dalibor were devastated. The grief was all-consuming, and the various medical bills they had accumulated only added to their anxiety and left them financially devastated.

A New Challenge

During Slavomir’s illness, Karinya and her family had met Gospel for Asia (GFA) pastor Bedrich, who spent many hours praying and fasting for Slavomir’s healing. He rejoiced with the family when healing came; he welcomed Karinya to the local fellowship of believers; and he mourned Slavomir’s passing after the young man experienced three years of healing. Pastor Bedrich had watched the family’s resources dwindle as they did everything they could to nurse their son back to health.

Now, 14 years after Slavomir’s death, the compassionate pastor prayed for the family as they continued to face another challenge: poverty. With their financial resources drained, the family of six could not afford even a single mosquito net, a basic necessity to protect themselves from the region’s pests and the illnesses and diseases mosquitos carry.

Pastor Bedrich prayed fervently for a solution for the family’s need. The answer came in the form of an idea. He decided to organize a mosquito net distribution for their village.

Through the distribution, 630 people, including Karinya and her family, received the gift of a mosquito net. Though it seemed such a simple gift, it provided great relief from the annoyance of the buzzing creatures and peace of mind with the layer of protection from the disease-carrying insects.

Saved by a Thin Net

For Karinya’s family, the gift came at the perfect time. The very next night, Karinya and her son slept under the net’s covering. Around 11 p.m., Karinya woke to use the bathroom. Before she got out of bed, however, she spotted a large snake lying next to her bed. Amazingly, nothing lay between Karinya and a deadly snake bite except the thin mosquito net.

Alarmed, she quickly alerted her husband, hoping the mosquito net continued to deter the snake’s attack until Dalibor could remove the threatening reptile. The entire family soon awoke in a rush of activity. Karinya and her son waited with bated breath as the rest of the family killed the looming snake.

“If I had not received this mosquito net, me and my son would have lost our lives last night,” Karinya stated.

Though their challenges have been many, Karinya is grateful for the assistance of the church in helping provide for her family’s needs. She is especially grateful for the blessing of the thin netting that helped save her and her son’s lives.

Read how the gift of a bicycle opened the door for Pastor Lanzo to befriend a man who lived six miles away.

*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, Mosquito Net Saves Mother from Deadly Encounter

Learn more about how generosity can change lives. Through GFA World (Gospel for Asia) 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.

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

GFA Launches ‘Moo-ving’ Christmas Campaign to Tackle Poverty

Last updated on: January 7, 2025 at 10:28 pm By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – GFA World (Gospel for Asia) founded by K.P. Yohannan, which inspired numerous charities like GFA World Canada, reports: A “moo-ving” Christmas campaign aims to lift pandemic-affected families out of extreme poverty — with gifts of cows, goats, chickens and other farm animals. Texas-based humanitarian agency Gospel for Asia (GFA World) says a single farm animal can transform the fortunes of a family in dire poverty, providing food and sustainable income.

GFA World says a single farm animal can transform the fortunes of a family in dire poverty, providing food and sustainable income. — **GFA WORLD LAUNCHES MOO-VING CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN TO TACKLE POVERTY:** A “moo-ving” Christmas campaign aims to lift pandemic-affected families in Asia and Africa out of extreme poverty with gifts of cows, goats, chickens and other farm animals. Texas-based humanitarian agency Gospel for Asia (GFA World) shows how people in America can change the lives of the world’s poorest families this Christmas in its latest special report, *A Surprising Antidote to World Poverty: Farm Animals* (http://www.gfa.org/press/animals).

In a new report, the global organization cites that an estimated 711 million people worldwide — more than double the entire population of the U.S. — now survive on $1.90 per day or less. That’s an alarming 8.5% increase since the pandemic began.

“The hardest hit are always the poorest of the poor,” said Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founder K.P. Yohannan (also known as Metropolitan Yohan).

The organization’s latest special report, A Surprising Antidote to World Poverty: Farm Animals (http://www.gfa.org/press/animals), shows how people in America can change the lives of the world’s poorest families this Christmas — by donating a cow, goat, lamb, pig, or chickens.

Last Christmas, Gospel for Asia (GFA World) World supporters provided income-generating gifts for more than 260,000 needy families. To give a farm animal and other life-changing gifts this Christmas, people can go to GFA World’s online Christmas gift catalog at www.gfa.org/gift.

Expression of God’s Love

“Helping defeat poverty by giving farm animals to a family that has nothing is a tangible expression of God’s love,” said Yohannan. “It’s not just a quick fix — long term it can help families out of poverty for good.”

Extreme poverty, Yohannan said, leads to “unmitigated desperation” — families sifting through stinking garbage piles for scraps of food, children trapped in forced labor, and girls selling their bodies just to survive.

Farm animals provide not only a source of food, but also a reliable income as they reproduce. This, in turn, means families can afford to eat better, buy medicines, and even enroll their children in school.

“The result is that an entire community can be transformed through these simple Christmas gifts that show people the love of God in action,” Yohannan said. “These gifts can spark a permanent change in even the most desperate places on earth.”

About Gospel for Asia – now GFA World

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

Learn more about how the simple gift of an income-generating animal can be the turning point for an impoverished family—one their family has likely been desiring for generations. Learn more about other solutions to poverty.

Read more blogs on Poverty, Christmas Gift Catalog, the COVID 19 Pandemic on Patheos from GFA World.

Read what 25 Christian Leaders are affirming about GFA World.

Source: GFA World Digital Media News Room, GFA World Launches ‘Moo-ving’ Christmas Campaign to Tackle Poverty

Weary Man’s Answered Prayer, Received a Bicycle from a GFA

Last updated on: January 7, 2025 at 10:40 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 Abid, his struggle against poverty for his family, and the answered prayer of a bicycle received from a GFA World gift distribution.

Discussing Abid, his struggle against poverty for his family, & the answered prayer of a bicycle received from a GFA World gift distribution. — Abid (not pictured) celebrates the gift of a bicycle, which significantly cut down his travel time to work and afforded him more time with his family.

Day in and day out, Abid walked a long path to work to provide for his wife and their six children. Nearly five miles to work and another five miles home, it took him hours to walk the distance. In between this trek, Abid worked hard for a small daily wage, but he frequently arrived late to work and faced reprimands from his boss.

The disapproving comments from his boss weighed on Abid. The 46-year-old man, known for his smiling face, would return home completely exhausted and agitated by his boss’s scolding.

By the time Abid’s family saw him at the end of the day, he had no energy left and was easily irritated, creating discord at home. When Abid didn’t collapse from exhaustion as soon as he crossed the threshold, he complained about the pain in his body, weary from the hours-long commute.

On Sundays, church was also a lengthy distance from Abid’s home. He often arrived late there as well, his steps slow from fatigue. Soon, Abid stopped attending the worship services altogether.

He was tired of being late everywhere he went, and he was tired of being tired.

Enough Is Enough

What could Abid do? He knew he couldn’t afford to purchase a different mode of transportation or a bus ticket, but something had to change.

Abid decided to pray about his situation. He asked God for a bicycle so he could make it to work and church on time.

Meanwhile, Gospel for Asia (GFA) pastor Bahari heard about Abid’s difficult commute. He learned of the toll it took on Abid’s body, his family relationships and even his ability to attend Sunday services. Pastor Bahari felt compassion for Abid’s struggles and decided to submit Abid’s name to receive a gift from a GFA gift distribution. Pastor Bahari excitedly presented the two-wheeled treasure to Abid, who received the bicycle with great thankfulness and a joyful heart.

God had answered Abid’s prayers! He was now the proud owner of a new bicycle, just as he had requested.

“I have a big family,” Abid explained. “I get money from the daily [wage] work and buy provision for home. Due to that, I could not buy [a bicycle]. But I thank the church for understanding my need and providing me a good cycle. Now I am on time to work and even for church. Thank you very much.”

The gift of a bicycle has truly changed Abid’s life. With a shortened commute, the bicycle affords him more time with his family and more energy to enjoy their time together. He has no trouble getting to work, and his boss is pleased Abid arrives on time. In addition, Abid now regularly attends church, and he helps family members and neighbors by using his bike to run errands.

Across the globe, countries annually celebrate World Bicycle Day on June 3rd. For Abid, every day he mounts his bike is a good day to thank God for the life-changing gift of the bicycle.

Read Kagiso’s story about a gratefully received gift of tin.

Source: Gospel for Asia Field Reports & Updates, Mother Receives Skills, Tools to Feed Her Family

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

Rights Routinely Violated: Coronavirus Intensifies Hardships for Widows | Part 1

Last updated on: November 10, 2021 at 6:30 pm By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – GFA World (Gospel for Asia) founded by K.P. Yohannan, which inspired numerous charities like GFA World Canada, to assist the poor and deprived worldwide, issued this 1st part of a Special Report update on the extraordinary pressures and hardships of widows intensified by the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Widows due to the Coronavirus Pandemic endure extraordinary hardships — Gospel for Asia (GFA) Sisters of Compassion visit Asian widows regularly to talk, help and provide hope and prayer.

Widow receiving relief package amid Coronavirus Pandemic — While visiting a famished, poor widow living among huts in this slum area in Telangana, Gospel for Asia (GFA) provided a food packet consisting of mixed vegetables, rice and oil to sustain her, and ten others, during the pandemic. She said: *“From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for providing these food supplies.”*

As I conveyed in a previous Special Report, the plight of widows, whether in affluent or developing nations, can be a desperate struggle. In this update, I share how the coronavirus has compounded their hardships even further.

For women worldwide who have lost husbands during the COVID-19 pandemic, grief and pain are an overwhelming experience. But for many of these women, their sorrow has been multiplied to an unbearable level due to isolation, expulsion from family, loss of property rights, and other extraordinary pressures that are often overlooked.

In America, while pandemic fears started to ease as vaccine distribution ramped up in the spring of 2021, for widows who lost spouses during the past two years, the pain is only beginning. Many young widows forged support bonds through Facebook, Zoom or other electronic means even as lockdowns and social distancing practices prevented them from gathering in person. A recent NBC News investigation discovered the following:

Among the newly grieving spouses is Pamela Addison of Waldwick, New Jersey. She became a widow in April 2020 at age 36 after her husband was exposed to the virus while conducting swallow evaluations on speech pathology patients.

“All my friends had their husbands, they were healthy,” Addison told a reporter from NBC News. “I knew only me. I thought, ‘Oh, my gosh, nobody else is going to understand what I’m going through—and that was a whole other part of my grief.”¹

Graphic representation of different kinds of women widows. — The Modern Widows Club provides various services for widows, including one that helps locate support groups in person or online for ongoing empathy. Photo by Modern Widows Club

After receiving inspiration from a sympathy card, Addison launched the Facebook support group Young Widows and Widowers of Covid-19. In its first two months, it surpassed 80 members from the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

Another member, Kristina Scorpo, 33, of Paterson, New Jersey, commented: “We didn’t plan to be widowed at 36 or 33. We didn’t plan to raise our kids without our partners that we saw our lives with and we saw a future with. It was like [people in the group] knew exactly what the other was going to say, because we had been through all the same things, and it’s a really great thing that life brought us together.”²

Some who have lost spouses find common identity in their ethnic background, like those who are part of Black Women Widows Empowered. It was launched by Sabra Robinson of Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2015 after she lost her husband to cancer in 2012. Last year, the more than 700 members included at least 20 who had lost spouses to COVID-19.

“I feel for all these ladies, black or white,” Robinson said. “There’s so many COVID widows now, and they don’t have to be COVID widows.”³

Widow from Nepal toiling in labor — Nepal: Having lost her husband, Esther’s life is difficult, although she’s grateful to still have her land. She sows corn manually by hand to grow a life-sustaining crop for her family during the rainfed conditions from April to August.

Yet there is strength in their affinity, says member Erika Taylor-Ruffin of Apple Valley, California, who credits the group with “saving her life.”

“When you’re an African American widow, it’s like you still have to be strong,” Taylor-Ruffin said. “We can’t show weakness. This group allows us to be vulnerable and to show our pain without being judged. [There] is something about being around women who understand your pain.”⁴

While the grief and sorrow of COVID-19 widows is profound in developed countries like the United States, in developing countries of the world, the painful losses widows experience are amplified to an entirely different level.

“COVID-19 is a widow-maker,” Karol Boudreaux, chief program officer at the land rights charity Landesa, said in a webinar organized by the Land Portal online platform. “[The virus] exacerbates an already unequal situation for men and women.”

Boudreaux referred to a Tanzanian widow who was unable to stop the illegal sale of her property in another city due to limited land rights and COVID-19 travel restrictions as an example of this inequity.

It’s been a decade since the United Nations organized International Widows Day, which is observed annually on June 23. The UN says there are 258 million widows worldwide, with a ratio of nearly 1 in 10 living in extreme poverty.

On last year’s International Widows Day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said when countries build back from COVID-19, they must also work to dismantle laws that discriminate against women. He said the isolation and economic hardships brought on by the pandemic can further compromise widows’ ability to support themselves and their families and cut them off from social connections during their greatest time of grief.

“The death of a partner at any time can leave many women without rights to inheritance of property,” Guterres said. “In times of a pandemic, these losses are often multiplied for widows and accompanied by stigma and discrimination.”⁵

The UN also says that the actual number of widows is likely to grow much higher and expand further as the coronavirus and its related impact on health continues: “The pandemic has just worsened the situation during the past several months with a devastating human loss, and one that is likely leaving tens of thousands of women newly widowed at just the time they are cut off from their usual socio-economic and family supports.”⁶

This family of a widow is planting an entire field completely by hand. — Uttar Pradesh, India: When a husband is lost to COVID-19, for example, the remaining widow will often need to mobilize her remaining family to survive. This family, fortunate to have land, is planting an entire field completely by hand.

Widows Rights Routinely Violated During Pandemic

An article reported from Johannesburg, South Africa, on the same Tanzanian story referenced by Karol Boudreaux—written by Kim Harrisberg for the Thomson Reuters Foundation—said that women often only earn legal or socially recognized rights to land and property through a husband or father. These rights are regularly violated during times of disaster, whether that be a war, the HIV/AIDS crisis or the coronavirus.

She quoted Patricia Chaves, head of the women’s rights charity Espaco Feminista, as saying that in Brazil when a man dies, women are approached at the funeral about selling their land.

Widows supported by Widow's Might program of Kenya Hope — Kenya: Because polygamy is practiced widely, when a husband dies from COVID-19, he often leaves behind several wives with multiple children. These vulnerable women are frequently preyed upon. The Widow’s Might program of Kenya Hope supports these women by providing them with food assistance each month, giving them five goats in the first year to start their own self sustaining herd, and by training them with marketable skills, all in God’s love. Photo by Kenya Hope, Widow’s Might Program

Chaves said that poor women have been particularly vulnerable during the pandemic because they are forced to put themselves at risk to feed their families while isolating in poor housing conditions.

In Kenya, there are reports that widows were forced out of their homes by their in-laws during quarantine because they were seen as an extra burden and not really part of the family, said Victoria Stanley, a World Bank land specialist.

“Widows depend on their (deceased) husbands for their property rights. There may be pressure from families to return properties or they may be forced into marriages with other family members. This could be devastating if we aren’t paying attention,” said Stanley, who called for a moratorium on evictions to protect women’s rights during the pandemic.⁷

Of course, when it comes to suffering, widows have experienced this long before last year’s lockdowns.

A widow begs on a busy road — Afghanistan: A widow begs for food on a busy road in Kabul; the two loaves of bread she has are the entire dinner for her family of eight. According to Sharia teachings, widows only get an eighth of the inheritance from their spouse’s death if the husband has children (if not, then one quarter). The rest is distributed amongst other family members. Photo by Lacuna Magazine, Widowhood in Afghanistan

One example is in Afghanistan, home to “the hill of widows.” The term refers to women who eke out independence in a society that shuns them and condemns them as immoral. The first residents settled on a stony slope outside Kabul in the 1990s, hoping to escape the stigma attached to women who have lost their spouse.

The war-torn nation was home to approximately 2.5 million widows in 2017. Often uneducated and shuttered away at home, the women have few options when their husband dies. According to a report by a French news agency, “At best, they receive $150 a year from the government if their husband was killed in fighting. They survive by doing household chores, a little sewing, or by sending their children to beg in the bazaar.

“Women are perceived as being owned by their father before becoming their husband’s property. Widows are often rejected as immoral or regarded as burdens: they suffer violence, expulsion, ostracism and sometimes forced remarriage, often with a brother-in-law, as reported by the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in a rare study published in 2014.”⁸

Widow from Nigeria — Nigeria: Deborah’s husband was shot and killed in raids by Muslim extremists. After her husband’s death, her in-laws wanted her to leave her home so they could profit from it. They consistently abused her and pressured her to leave. Soon, she gave in, left her home and rented a house. She was hopeless, alone, and filled with grief. And ready to give up on life, until she received help to survive from an Open Doors trauma center. Photo by Open Doors USA

Similar difficulties face widows in Nigeria. In one state in the geopolitical region of South East Nigeria, legislators enacted laws in 2001 prohibiting widows from being compelled to do such things as shave their heads, be locked in the room with their husband’s corpse, or be compelled to remarry a relative of her late husband’s. Yet nearly two decades later, some of these practices were being kept alive through sociocultural norms, said an early 2020 report by a group of health researchers.

“There are often frictions between cultural practices and state policies/laws, as well as human rights, which obstruct policy implementation,” they wrote. “The lack of resources in low-resource regions adds to the difficulty in enforcing laws and policies, especially in rural areas, giving room for abhorrent cultural practices to thrive. These conditions prolong and intensify the traumatic experiences of widows.”⁹

Give to Help Widows »

If this special report has touched your heart and you would like to do something today about the plight of widows around the world, please share this article with your friends and consider making a generous gift to GFA World to help widows in South Asia and other locations.

Read the rest of this Gospel for Asia – Transforming Communities (GFA World) Special Report: Coronavirus Intensifies Hardships for Widows — Part 2

About GFA World

GFA World (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. GFA World has launched programs in Africa, 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, Widows, World Missions and the Coronavirus Pandemic on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

GFA’s Statement About Coronavirus

Learn more by reading this Special Report from Gospel for Asia: Widows Face Uphill Battle After Losing Spouses — The plight of widows, whether in affluent or developing nations, can be a desperate struggle

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

Read what 25 Christian Leaders are affirming about GFA World.

This Special Report originally appeared on gfa.org.

Medicine Brought by GFA World Aids Those Who Couldn’t Otherwise Afford It

Last updated on: October 14, 2021 at 4:20 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 villagers in extreme poverty counted among the millions without access to proper health care, and GFA World aids that brought free medicine that they may be healthy and whole.

Discussing villagers in extreme poverty counted among the millions without access to proper health care, and GFA World aids that brought free medicine that they may be healthy and whole. — Volunteer doctors examined every villager who attended the GFA World medical camp.

Dozens of voices jumbled together as men, women and children patiently waited to be seen by one of the workers stationed at the front of the line. In those workers’ hands, and on the tables, lay objects most of those present could never afford on their own: bottles of medicine.

Not Enough Money

These villagers are among the millions without access to proper health care. The World Health Organization estimates nearly half of the global population does not have full coverage of essential health services because they do not have access or they cannot afford it.^[1]

In the villagers’ case, whenever sickness struck, they waited for it to pass. They could not afford to become some of the 930 million people worldwide who are projected to fall into extreme poverty as their finances become drained by expensive hospital visits or medication.^[2] For the villagers, the risk of falling deeper into poverty outweighed finding medical relief. It was better to endure pain than to whittle away their finances.

Treatment Freely Given

Nealy, a 55-year-old farmer, couldn’t afford treatment for his leg pain and acid reflux. For six months, Nealy had endured the pain to keep his family afloat, not possessing extra income to receive treatment.

Another villager, Pakuna, a 60-year-old mother of three, had suffered with high blood pressure and diabetes for the previous four years.

They both could not purchase medicine on their own.

But then, in celebration of World Health Day, the villagers were invited to a medical camp organized by several Gospel for Asia (GFA) workers and volunteers. Nealy, Pakuna and the other attendees received medicine according to their needs, free of charge. In total, around 400 men, women and children received medical attention. Beneficiaries thanked the workers, grateful they could receive such care.

Through the medical camp, Nealy, Pakuna and hundreds of others in similar situations were blessed with medical care. Without it, the villagers may never have been able to see to their medical needs or may have gone without ever seeing a doctor. Because of the medical camp, they did not have to choose between falling into extreme poverty or pain—they could be healthy and whole.

Read how GFA Sisters of Compassion offered relief and peace on World Health Day through a medical camp for those in need.

^[1] “Primary health care.” World Health Organization. 1 April 2021. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/primary-health-care

^[2] “Primary health care.” World Health Organization. 1 April 2021. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/primary-health-care

Source: Gospel for Asia Field Reports & Updates, Medicine Brought to Those Who Couldn’t Afford It

Learn more about the GFA World Medical Ministry — helping thousands who are in need of medical care and attention, all while displaying the love of Christ.

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

Woman Receives Double Blessing from Sisters of Compassion Literacy Class

Last updated on: August 17, 2022 at 3:44 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 Kassia who grew up illiterate which brought the compounded cost of extreme poverty throughout her adult life, and the GFA World Sisters of Compassion bringing a double blessing through a Literacy Class.

Kassia delights in her growing ability to read and write and is grateful for her renewed health.

Kassia’s mother passed away when she was young, setting off a series of consequences in the young girl’s life. Beyond dealing with the grief of losing her mother, Kassia was forced to give up her education to become “mother” to her younger siblings. She grew up illiterate, and when she married, had children and needed to care for her own family, Kassia worked the only jobs afforded to an illiterate woman: miscellaneous agriculture jobs.

Then, when Kassia was 45 years old, her health began to decline. For six months, she experienced swelling in her body and constantly felt weak and lightheaded. Her condition left her unable to serve her family as she had since she was young.

The family spent time and money seeking advice from a variety of doctors, who eventually diagnosed Kassia with low hemoglobin. Kassia’s family purchased the prescribed treatments in hopes they would restore the ailing woman to health. However, none of the solutions worked as intended, and Kassia continued to suffer.

In her pained state, Kassia’s worries were compounded by her family’s financial woes. She was all too aware the family was spending money they didn’t have in search of a solution to her health condition, and she was unable to add to the family’s income.

Invitation to Learn

It was during this difficult time, as Kassia struggled to complete daily tasks, that she met four GFA Sisters of Compassion. Sister Morela and her companions listened to Kassia’s predicament, and they recognized one need they could surely meet: The Sisters offered literacy classes in the village and invited Kassia to attend.

Kassia was delighted with the prospect of finally learning to read and write. It was a small joy in the middle of a despairing situation. She didn’t know it yet, but it would lead to a blessing she had been looking for.

Unexpected Blessing

Discussing illiterate Kassia, the poverty, and the GFA Sisters of Compassion who brought a double blessing through a Literacy Class. — In a literary class like this one, Kassia eagerly absorbs each lesson, growing quickly in her ability to read and write.

Not long after Kassia began attending the class, the Sisters invited her to a Sunday worship service. Kassia had noticed that each literacy class opened with prayer and decided to see what occurred during a worship service. Just as in her literacy class, Kassia absorbed the lessons she learned during the service. As she continued to learn about Jesus and His power, she discovered she could put her trust in Him for her physical healing—and she did.

The Lord honored Kassia’s faith and healed her body completely from the weakening effects of low hemoglobin.

The family’s matriarch no longer suffered from the debilitating illness that limited her ability to care for her family. With renewed strength, Kassia joyfully resumed her daily work in taking care of her family.

“I am very thankful to the Lord for healing me completely,” Kassia said. “I trust in Him … as the Savior of my life.”

Kassia continues to attend her literacy classes and Sunday services, and she is happily progressing in her ability to read and write. She enjoys the double blessings of health and the ability to learn.

Discover how literacy classes opened doors of opportunity in Preshti’s life.

Source: Gospel for Asia Field Reports & Updates, Woman Receives Double Blessing from Literacy Class

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 Gospel for Asia’s programs to combat the 100 million missing women reality by helping women through Vocational Training, Sewing Machines and Literacy Training.

Learn more by reading the GFA special report “Literacy: One of the Great Miracle Cures — Resolving the Limitations Illiteracy Places on the Human Spirit”

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

Freedom, Justice and Restoration – Rewriting the Tragedies of Girlhood | Part 3

Last updated on: December 8, 2022 at 1:42 pm 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 horrific realities girls face, child marriage, human trafficking, abuse & exploitation, and the restoration & redemption that God brings to their lives.

Photo of Daania with Bridge of Hope students — Because Daania was once a Bridge of Hope student herself, she has a special connection with the children under her care, like Priyasha (right), who is handicapped and was unresponsive when she first arrived. Daania spent extra time with her, showing her love and concern. Now Priyasha is responding to Daania and is learning in her studies. God is using Daania in tremendous ways as she helps ignite—through tender love, care and an education—hope for a bright future for at-risk children in Bridge of Hope. She is instilling wonderful lessons and morals into her students, just like her Bridge of Hope teachers once did for her.

Opening Doors of Opportunity

A recognition of girls’ inherent value will advance education for girls. Education helps girls learn basic skills like reading and writing, which are necessary to complete everyday tasks and conduct business in society. Education helps girls develop talents and interests. Education helps girls pursue the careers or paths that are right for them instead of being completely dependent on a husband. Ultimately, education helps girls unlock the freedom and knowledge to realize their potential.

At only 15 years old, Malala Yousafzai was nearly killed because she fought for education for girls in her region of Pakistan, where the Taliban had forbidden them from attending school. The teenager publicly spoke out about a girl’s right to attend school. Then, one day, a masked gunman boarded her school bus and shot her in the head.

“I woke up 10 days later in a hospital in Birmingham, England,” Malala remembers. “The doctors and nurses told me about the attack—and that people around the world were praying for my recovery.”

After her remarkable recovery, Malala became the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. Now 23, she continues to advocate for girls worldwide: She and her father founded the Malala Fund to advance the mission of 12 years of free, safe, quality education for girls.

“Girls who complete secondary school become healthier, more prosperous adults,” writes the Malala Fund. “Girls who receive a secondary education are more able and likely to contribute fully in their families, communities and societies, as earners, informed mothers, and agents of change.”

Many impoverished families fail to educate their daughters because they are struggling just to put food on the table; they cannot afford school supplies or uniforms. However, GFA’s Bridge of Hope Program and other child sponsorship programs help make education a reality for girls in poverty. These programs often provide for school expenses, uniforms, food and tuition: the tools needed for a child to thrive academically and complete her education.

As child sponsorship programs remove a financial burden from the family, they make it more likely for parents to keep their other children in school, even if only one child can join the sponsorship program. This changes the situation for families that would be tempted to keep their daughters at home, send them to work as child laborers or marry them off at a young age.

Through child sponsorship programs, girls gain the chance to excel scholastically, develop artistic and athletic talents, eat nutritious meals and build positive relationships in a supportive, nurturing atmosphere. The gift of education also changes girls’ outlook for the future.

Salena knows her life could have been very different. “If I had not joined Bridge of Hope, I would have been looking after cows of a landlord, or I would have gotten married early and gone to my in-laws’ home, because my parents had no money to send me to school. Instead, I was given all my needs from BOH like other children in the program. I discovered my hidden talents, abilities and life’s purpose.”

Girls who once would have only looked forward to marrying young or doing menial labor jobs now dream of being teachers, police officers, nurses or engineers. They have a much greater chance of achieving higher education.

Since the inception of GFA’s Bridge of Hope Program in 2004, thousands have graduated, and many have gone on to pursue higher education or the career of their dreams.

Salena, a Bridge of Hope graduate, came from a poor background and watched her two older brothers labor in a hazardous factory. Until Bridge of Hope opened in her community, she didn’t have much to look forward to, as her parents struggled just to put food on the table for their six kids. But Bridge of Hope allowed Salena to excel in and complete her education.

“If I had not joined Bridge of Hope, I would have been looking after cows of a landlord, or I would have gotten married and gone to my in-laws’ home, because my parents had no money to send me to school,” Salena says.

“I clearly remember many nights we went to bed without food. … But then the Bridge of Hope project became … an agent of change and a stream of blessing in my life. Joy and peace came into my life as well as in my home. I was given all my needs from BOH like other children in the [program]. I discovered my hidden talents, abilities and life’s purpose.”

Girls that received sponsorship for education — This English medium school in Nepal (left) is meeting a desperate need for education, health, nutrition, moral and spiritual values in the lives of young girls and boys. In Nepal that is a huge advantage resulting in open doors and respectability in the community. Vanshika (right) in Uttar Pradesh knows that she is loved, and she has hope for her future, because this family in the photo chose to sponsor her monthly.

Resisting Child Marriage

Education can help girls avoid the trap of child marriage. At school, girls may learn about the dangers of child marriage, which can help them educate their own parents. Also, as girls acquire skills and knowledge at school, they and their families see the possibility of higher education and attractive career options.

At age 13, Krupa, a Bridge of Hope student, came home one afternoon to find a crowd of people at her house. Bewildered, she asked her mother what was happening, but she only told Krupa to follow instructions. As Krupa’s neighbor started telling her to do things, Krupa realized she was being roped into a pre-wedding ceremony. Her parents were marrying her off.

Thankfully, Krupa had learned at Bridge of Hope about the dangers of child marriage, and she had promised herself she would never marry before age 18. She wanted to attend university and become a teacher.

Desperate to stop the impending wedding, Krupa borrowed a cell phone and secretly called Bridge of Hope staff members.

“Within just half an hour, they arrived at our house like angels,” Krupa recalls. “They came directly to me without looking at anyone. All I could say to them was, ‘I am only 13. What would you do if I was your child?’ They needed nothing more to hear and understand the whole situation.”

The Bridge of Hope staff talked to Krupa’s parents and explained the laws against child marriage. Krupa’s father promised not to arrange her marriage before she turned 18.

“I thank the Bridge of Hope staff for saving me from becoming prey to the trap of child marriage,” Krupa says. “My friends and school teachers admire me for my courage, but I am just glad to be an inspiration for many young girls.”

With the help of the education she received and the support of the Bridge of Hope staff, Krupa kept her promise to herself. She finished her education, graduated from Bridge of Hope and became a teacher, just as she’d hoped. She did eventually marry at age 20, when she was old enough and educated enough to make decisions about her own life.

Family in poverty with a daughter who is a student at a local Bridge of Hope center — One of the daughters in this family in Maharashtra goes to a local Bridge of Hope center where she receives a daily meal, ongoing education and regular medical care under kind and loving teachers! GFA’s Bridge of Hope serves more than 70,000 at-risk girls and boys all across South Asia.

Bringing Freedom, Justice and Restoration to Victims of Child Labor, Trafficking, Child Marriage

Education makes girls less vulnerable to child labor, trafficking and child marriage, but justice demands the world not only protect girls from these evils but also rescue victims of trafficking and help them recover.

International Justice Mission (IJM) is one of the largest organizations working to free, defend and restore victims of trafficking. IJM and other organizations often work to track brothels where girls under age 18 are being forced to work. They work with law enforcement to remove girls from the brothels, see that perpetrators are appropriately prosecuted and help survivors to receive aftercare.

IJM 2020 Report Cover — IJM recently released a report highlighting the nature and scale of online sexual exploitation (OSEC) of children – typically younger Filipina women – in the Philippines. This study was led by IJM, in partnership with the Philippine Government and a variety of governmental stakeholders in the US and abroad. Photo by IJM.org

Earlier this year, IJM worked with police from two states in India to disrupt a cross-country sex trafficking ring. Police in one region noticed girls were being trafficked to a city on the other side of India. IJM supported the police in both states as they located a brothel where many of these girls were being held. Manisha, who had been rescued from the same brothel when she was a minor in 2018, played an instrumental role, sharing information that helped direct police to the brothel. On February 22, the teamwork of IJM, the police and Manisha led to the arrest of four suspected traffickers and the rescue of two girls who had been imprisoned in the brothel.

Many other organizations like IJM work to rescue girls from trafficking, prosecute traffickers or provide aftercare to survivors. Other organizations combat trafficking by holding businesses accountable to prevent forced labor. Through initiatives such as the Freedom Seal label, consumers can help end trafficking by supporting businesses that have taken the necessary steps to block slavery from their supply chains.

Rani Hong, the creator of the Freedom Seal initiative, fights against trafficking as someone who has survived it. Rani was trafficked when she was only 7 years old, forced to work 12 hours a day in a brick factory and kept in a cage at night. After she became physically unable to work, she was trafficked in an illegal adoption scheme.

Rani ended up in a loving home in the United States, grew up, got married, had children and eventually reconnected with her mother and siblings in India.

But Rani didn’t forget her childhood experience; she began working to prevent other children from facing the same fate. She spoke before the Washington State legislature to pass a law criminalizing human traffickers. She became a UN special adviser on the Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking, and she created the Freedom Seal label, mentioned above, to promote businesses free from child labor and trafficking.

Ashmita, the girl forced to work as a domestic servant, also found freedom from child labor. After government authorities learned of her situation, they placed her in a home for girls run by Gospel for Asia (GFA) workers. There, Ashmita received care and encouragement from Sisters of Compassion and other Gospel for Asia (GFA) missionaries. She got to attend school. She played and made friends with the other girls at the home, who became like sisters to her.

“I like this place so much; I like all these didis [older sisters]. They work hard for me and for all of us,” Ashmita shared. “I like this place, and I don’t [want] to leave this place and go to any other place or orphanage because of the love and care that we get here.”

Now, as Ashmita flourishes in a stable home where she is receiving education and care, she can dream about the future.

Ashmita, a girl rescued from trafficking, can now smile in safety with friends. — After the local government learned of Ashmita’s situation, they placed her in a loving home for girls, where she received constant care and encouragement, got to attend school, play and make friends with the other girls at the home, who became like sisters to her.

Writing New Chapters

In Jane Eyre, Little Women, Anne of Green Gables and most other popular coming-of-age stories about girls, the heroine gets a satisfying ending—the ending the characters and the readers both long for. Jane Eyre, Jo March and Anne Shirley find contentment accomplishing their dreams and living in safe homes with the people they love.

Real life doesn’t always bring neat, happy resolution, but it does bring the same element of hope found in those fictional stories—in an even more powerful way. In the true stories of girls such as Ruth, Ridhima and Ashmita, redemption is dawning over years of devastation and pain. As God brings restoration to their lives, they are helping many more girls to overcome the antagonists of abuse, discrimination and exploitation and to embrace their identities as daughters of the King of kings.

Ruth understands the power of this transformation as she continues to help more girls, women and communities by training younger women to minister Christ’s love to people in need.

“Let many sisters come up,” she says, “and then we will make a new history for the world and for Christ.”

Be Part of Writing a New Story

You can help write a new story for girls around the world. There are several ways you can give girls the chance to know their value in God’s eyes and to embrace the future with confidence and strength. Here are just a few:

Sponsor a girl through a child sponsorship program

Many organizations, including GFA’s Bridge of Hope Program, Compassion International and World Vision, are working to provide children with education, nutritious food and opportunities in the name of Christ. By sponsoring a girl, you can help give her education in a nurturing environment, unlocking the door for her to overcome poverty and setbacks. Even if you choose to sponsor a boy, you will still be helping these organizations advance their mission of educating both boys and girls, and you will most likely be giving this boy the opportunity to learn respect for girls and women.

Choose a Child to Sponsor

Promote awareness, justice and accountability

Because of their vulnerable position in society, girls need advocates. They need adults to educate others about the importance of defending a girl’s life, dignity, health and education from many dangers. They need adults to fight for them when they face abuse, trafficking or forced marriage. They need adults to remove corruption from business supply chains and eliminate child labor from the marketplace. To promote awareness, justice and accountability, you can partner with organizations such as International Justice Mission to provide legal help and aftercare to girls who have been subjected to trafficking, sexual abuse or child labor. You can use information from Freedom Seal and other accountability initiatives to ensure that you are only supporting businesses that prevent girls from being exploited in child labor.

Partner with women missionaries

Women missionaries can effectively minister to girls’ and women’s emotional and spiritual needs. By supporting women missionaries like Ruth through prayer and finances, you can share hope with girls who need to know there is a God who loves and values them.

Sponsor a Woman Missionary

Pray

Sometimes the most effective way to help others is to seek God’s mercy and intervention. One individual can’t remove abuse or corruption from social structures, but when one individual joins with other individuals to intercede for girls who are neglected and abused, crying out for God’s justice, the Lord transforms hearts and lives—the first step toward social transformation.

Give to Help Girls at Risk »

If you want to help girls at risk in South Asia, consider a one-time donation to stand in the gap for children who have been rescued from desperate situations of neglect, abuse, abandonment, child marriage, and trafficking, into Bridge of Hope but still lack permanent sponsors to cover their monthly needs to remain in school.

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: Rewriting the Tragedies of Girlhood — Opening Doors for Girls Deprived of Opportunities — Part 1, Part 2

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

Ending Violence Against Women — Using Programs and Education to Prevent Discrimination
An Imaginative Exercise in Empathetic Fear — Think About Living in a Community with Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

This Special Report originally appeared on gfa.org.

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