Last updated on: November 19, 2019 at 2:17 pm By GFA Staff Writer
Years ago, news of Asian women dying during pregnancy and of girls getting married in their teenage years shook the hearts of Gospel for Asia staff and field partners like the Believers Church led by Dr. KP Yohannan Metropolitan. A lack of education about the dangers of certain practices and traditions only perpetuated the heartbreaking reality.
So Gospel for Asia-supported workers decided to do something about it. They began a women’s health care program, which would teach rural women about personal health and hygiene, first aid and child care. They surveyed villages to see what were the greatest needs; then, with the help of professional medical doctors, they put together a two-year plan consisting of 24 teaching modules.
More than 600 women trained to deliver life-saving information to the women in their communities and neighboring villages. Four two years, they conducted seminars, investing valuable time in teaching women basic, practical aspects of health care that were never taught to them before.
Village women attend a health care seminar conducted by a Gospel for Asia-supported woman missionary.
Sarasi was one of those women who attended a health care seminar conducted by a Gospel for Asia-supported woman missionary. And that seminar ended up changing the course of her life. This is some of her story:
Learning How to Save Her Baby
Not a single nurse or doctor could be found among the 1,500 people in Kinjal’s village, yet the lack of medical help hardly concerned the general population. Along the dirt roads that wove through the thatched-roof homes in the village lived superstitions and misunderstandings about health care, especially concerning pregnancies.
Some people thought visiting the doctor would result in worse health after taking all the prescribed medicine, while others were simply afraid of receiving shots or swallowing pills. Some women feared that iron supplements taken during pregnancy would cause the baby to grow faster and hurt the mother in the process.
A lack of knowledge about general health and hygiene also caused many people to get sick. Some worked outside all day in the intense humidity and wore the same sweat-drenched clothes for several days at a time—without taking baths. In the homes, surroundings were often dirty, and food could be found uncovered, inviting insects and other critters to a feast.
In light of their neighbors’ living situations, Kinjal and her husband, a GFA-supported pastor named Rahas, recognized the crucial need to conduct a health care training seminar for the women in their village. One of those women was Sarasi.
Unawareness Causes Tragedy
Sarasi and her husband, Cholan, were both believers and were married for five years before they had their first daughter. A few years later, Sarasi became pregnant again. Like many women in her village, Sarasi didn’t know how to take care of her body while expecting a child—nobody had taught her how.
Visiting the doctor for a pregnancy checkup was unheard of in her family. Being a hard worker, Sarasi often carried heavy loads that strained her body, and she knew little about the importance of day-to-day cleanliness in the home, including the simple act of hand washing. Sadly, unawareness led to Sarasi’s eventual miscarriage during her second pregnancy.
“I was very sad when I learned that our baby died in my wife’s womb,” Cholan remembers. “I regretted the situation we lived in because none of us had the knowledge or information about how to take care of a pregnant lady.”
Yet in their time of grief, Sarasi and Cholan found comfort in the encouragement of their neighbors, Kinjal and Pastor Rahas—and in the presence of the Lord.
Seminar Inspires a New Lifestyle
Sometime later, Kinjal invited Sarasi to attend a health care training seminar in the village, led by the local Women’s Fellowship. During the training, approximately 30 women learned how to take care of themselves and their families, including little ones growing in the womb.
Sarasi and the other women were taught how important it is for women to visit the doctor and take prescribed medicines and to put fewer, less physical demands on their bodies when they are pregnant. They also learned simple ways to keep a household clean and free of dangerous bacteria.
A Precious Gift
Sarasi’s family is healthy now, and it’s growing: The Lord blessed Sarasi and Cholan with a baby boy not long after the seminar. The proud parents know their son is a gift from God.
“I will teach my child to trust and believe in God,” Cholan says. “[I will tell him], ‘It is our trust and faith in Jesus that you were born healthy and sound, so you are actually a gift and an answer from our God.’ ”
At a health care seminar taught by a Gospel for Asia-supported worker, Sarasi learned about how to take care of herself and her family.
In 2016, GFA-supported workers helped 381,412 women by giving them free health care training. That’s hundreds of thousands of women who now know more about childcare, first aid and the basics of personal health and hygiene—things like proper handwashing, which will help reduce the risk of disease.
We’re grateful for how the Lord has used this health care program in the lives of thousands of people—and how it has helped at least one couple have a healthy pregnancy.
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Last updated on: January 31, 2023 at 9:06 am By GFA Staff Writer
What was on your mind when you were 6 years old? Maybe your thoughts were taken up by bicycles, stuffed animals and your next snack.
That was not the case for young Pria, a little girl from a poor family in Asia. Her perky pigtails held no big hair bows, and special treats were few and far between. But something more important was missing: a hopeful future.
An Unpromising Beginning
From the first moment of her existence, Pria’s life could have taken many tragic turns.
When her mother, Gala, discovered she was pregnant with Pria, her partner refused to take responsibility for their child and abandoned Gala. Unmarried and now an expectant mother, Gala was crushed by this betrayal.
Despite her abandonment and the looming possibility of abortion, Gala saved her baby. But as her pregnancy progressed, Gala sunk into a depression that slowly clutched hold of her reasoning. Eventually, her depression gave way to mental illness.
Gala’s grandparents stepped in to care for the child, helping any way they could. But as time passed, old age began taking its toll. And as Pria grew older, more needs arose: clothing to cover the pretty child, who was growing taller every day; greater quantities of nutritious food for her increasing appetite; education to train the curious mind developing within her. How could her aged grandparents and mentally ill mother meet all these needs?
Now a lovely ninth grader, Pria is on her way to an adulthood filled with promise and opportunity. She is equipped with knowledge and positive values, and the love she has received from her Bridge of Hope teachers is ready to flow into others.
But Pria’s story could have taken a completely different turn. Instead of finding love and care through Bridge of Hope, Pria could have grown up malnourished and illiterate, only able to do manual labor to earn an income. She could have become one of the 10.3 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 who are engaged in child labor in South Asia. Or she could have fallen prey to traffickers who look for women and children who could disappear without anyone noticing or insisting on an investigation.
Because God sees and loves each and every child in the world, we rejoice in the opportunity we have to be part of extending that love to the children of Asia. By meeting practical needs in partnership with the Body of Christ around the globe, we can help empower boys and girls to be more valuable citizens in their nations, wiser parents for their future families and happier children in their youth. Together, we can give these children a future beyond the walls of poverty.
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Last updated on: November 26, 2019 at 1:59 pm By Karen Mains
With our headlines screaming about one disaster after another—fires in the California hills, hurricanes, flooding, drought and warming seas rising—and with the increasing incidents of gun violence here in the States and of terrorism activating itself in the Middle East, the near East and in Europe, it is easy to forget there is good news happening beyond this barrage of warnings, distress signals and red flags flying.
One of the great news notices a majority of people have missed is that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced in March 2016 that in the last 30 years, extreme poverty around the world has been reduced by half. This information was based on a United Nations assessment following its goal-setting at the dawn of the new millennium: to eradicate poverty by 2030.
This initiative was included in what was titled The Millennium Development Goals, which included eight international goals for the year 2015 that had been established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations 2000. Among the goals were:
To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
To achieve universal primary education
To promote gender equality and empower women
To reduce child mortality, etc.
Some critics have complained of a lack of thorough scientific analysis behind the millennial sustainable goals and its recently announced outcomes. Questions have risen about the justification for some of the analysis behind chosen objectives. Even deciding what comprises a poverty level baseline is difficult (right now it is those who earn less than the equivalent of $1.90 U.S. per day).
All experts on the topic know that whatever true success has been achieved (the World Bank, according to its studies, feels that the statistical results are even better than those announced by the United Nations), the situation of the marginally poor, those rising out of extreme poverty, is still fragile. War lords can tip one country, such as South Sudan, into starvation. Climate change, for instance, is thought to be able to plunge those with marginal economic achievements back into dire need.
The point of this good news, however, despite these considerations, is that the war on world poverty has succeeded beyond any one of the expert’s dreams. The big question for those of faith is: How do faith-based organizations (FBOs) fit into helping decrease the levels of poverty around the world? The presence of mission organizations and Christian relief and development NGOs literally span the world and can be found on every continent and in the majority of developing countries. Or perhaps, the question should be: Do they even count in this grand scheme of eradicating world poverty?
While attending the Global Missions Health Conference that convenes yearly in Nashville, Tennessee, I bumped into a gentleman, a medical doctor, who has vast experience in world health efforts. We talked about the Millennial Goals and I asked him my question: How do faith-based organizations contribute to the amazing statistics that are developing out of these worldwide initiatives? Do they? And if they do, what measurements show their contributions?
He smiled, took out a business card and wrote some notes on the back, directing me to a section of the World Health Organization’s website. “When you get time, look at this,” he told me. “Several years back, WHO did a study of faith-based organizations during the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa. Their conclusions were amazing.”
On arriving home, I went web-searching and found a 33-page report based on extensive research observation, followed by another three pages of resources (some 113 in all), which gave strong evidence that faith-based organizations in relationship to health endeavors were invaluable and should be included in the overall joint partnership efforts that were outlined in the Millennial Goals. Included are just a few quotable assessments out of the broad study:
FBOs are significant health care providers in the developing world.
FBO health projects are often independently funded and do not, in general, receive an adequate proportion of public funds distribution.
Compassion is the primary value underlying major religious systems.
Many religious traditions are characterized by a focus on healing: “A primary focus of religious expectations in the 21st century is the multidimensional longing for healing of body and mind, of soul and spirit, of personal and social relations, of political and ecological dimensions in this broken world.”
The extensive evaluation offers suggestions for improvement—mostly in outcomes reporting, data collection, and the opening of dialogues between the public sector and faith-supported initiatives. One concluding section, however, begins with the statement, “Evidence suggests that FBOs already offer tangible value by:
Delivering services that supplement government offerings
Bringing external resources from a range of donors
Arising within religious and cultural loyalties of the local communities they serve
Being numerous and, on the whole, more integrated with the communities they serve
Connecting into associated services that are considered valuable within primary health care strategies.”
The end result of this extensive study was the recommendation by the World Health Organization that religious entities already on the ground and substantively rooted in their communities are ideally placed, perhaps even more so than many in the international aid systems, to bring a holistic (or some would call it an integral) approach to humans who suffer from the effects of dire and marginal poverty. After all, how many aid organizations are truly equipped to serve the whole person—body and mind, soul and spirit? Which of them show a multi-dimensional longing for the healing of personal and social relations, of political and ecological dimensions in this broken world?
This blog is dedicated to the exceptional work being done by one of those faith-based organizations, Gospel for Asia, which specializes in bringing the awareness of God’s love through an emphasis that is community grounded, understands the religious and cultural loyalties of the places and people they serve, and literally employs tens of thousands of financially underwritten or volunteer workers to help eradicate poverty, but in a way that ministers to the whole person, body and mind and soul and spirit.
Here are a couple ways GFA-supported workers are helping eradicate poverty:
Romila’s Story
This is Romila with her husband and child.
A plumber by trade, Romila’s husband, Taraswin, worked faithfully to provide for his wife and little baby girl. However, no matter how hard he tried, he struggled to find work. Day by day they were sinking financially. A friend directed Taraswin to a job opportunity in another village. Believing this would help change things, they moved to start afresh.
But work was inconsistent, and this new job soon proved to be of no help to their financial state. As monthly rent drained their income, things did not look bright.
Then, one day, they were chatting with their neighbor, and he introduced Taraswin and Romila to his friend, a Gospel for Asia-supported pastor named Rochan. As Pastor Rochan struck up a conversation with the couple, they began to open up about their struggles. When Pastor Rochan walked away, he felt compelled to do everything he could to help this family.
Three weeks later, he invited Taraswin and Romila to a Christmas gift distribution program. Romila could hardly believe her eyes when she received her sewing machine.
“I was really longing for a machine,” Romila recalls. “I have no words to express my feelings and thanks to the church.”
Now Romila can help provide for her family by sewing clothes from her home. The hopelessness which hung over Romila and Taraswin lifted, as they now can easily pay for their rent with plenty left over for additional expenses.
Dhansukh’s Story
Daily life was a struggle for Dhansukh and his family. Because Dhansukh had difficulty walking, he couldn’t work as a daily wage laborer, which is a common job for many people in Asia. Instead, Dhansukh provided for his family by selling vegetables.
But after some time, Dhansukh’s business began running into the ground. Fewer people made purchases, and the vegetables that remained started to rot. Dhansukh tried all he could to save money and make up for the lack. He took his children out of the private school they were attending and sent them to a public school instead. He asked his brothers and his sister for hand-me-downs for his children.
But even as he cut down on expenses left and right, eventually the vegetable-seller could no longer afford to buy fresh vegetables to feed his family. The meals they would eat in one day became fewer and fewer.
In the middle of the family’s crisis, Gospel for Asia-supported pastor Vismay came to buy vegetables one day. Dhansukh told Pastor Vismay about his business troubles and asked him to pray for him.
Pastor Vismay kept Dhansukh’s prayer request in mind, and God eventually provided an opportunity for him to help Dhansukh’s family practically by giving him two female goats at a Christmas gift distribution.
These gifts impacted Dhansukh in a special way: As he witnessed firsthand the Lord’s power to answer prayers, he realized God loved him and Jesus’ followers cared about him. And now, with the income these goats will provide, Dhansukh will be able to take care of his family.
This is Dhansukh with his goat that was given to him by a Gospel for Asia-supported pastor. The goat ended up multiplying!
The help this faith-based organization provided went beyond just material provision, as you can see from Romila’s and Dhansukh’s testimonies. It ministered to their soul and spirit as they understood how much they were loved by God and His people.
Often secular skeptics involved in international development look askance at those who work in faith-based missions around the world. The evidence being gathered, however, by objective outside observers seems to be producing a body of proof that some of the front-line participants in the change that is occurring in the eradication of poverty is being carried out by the unsung, unrecognized, diligent, altruistic people who love God and whose lives are driven by that love manifested as it is in concern and care for the downtrodden and the forgotten, for the abused and the neglected of the earth. Of this, those of us in faith-based communities have nothing to be ashamed.
I personally stand in awe of many of my brothers and sisters worldwide, some close friends, many of whom put their lives on the line every day, who have little thought of personal success or notoriety, who have shunned financial security and through a dogged kind of compassion serve God. One day in time, we will know what all they have done toward this remarkable goal of eradicating extreme poverty worldwide.
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Last updated on: November 26, 2019 at 2:50 pm By GFA Staff Writer
Manjira’s face lit up when she saw the Gospel for Asia-supported pastor. It had been only a few days since their last meeting where he had given her—and many others like her—a gift she couldn’t afford: a blanket.
“I don’t have enough blankets to keep my children warm in winter,” the 32-year-old woman expressed. “But your church has given me a beautiful and large size blanket that helps us sleep peacefully. I am very much thankful to your church.”
Like many women in Asia, Manjira lives alone with her four children. Some women are widowed and rejected by their relatives, while other families are torn apart by drug and alcohol addictions, gambling and affairs.
Manjira is one of the abandoned. Her husband, a heavy addict, left them to fend for themselves.
That was more than two years ago.
Manjira doesn’t know where her husband is, or even if he’s still alive.
Since he left, Manjira has found it difficult to provide for all her children’s needs. It’s hard to imagine one woman laboring to provide food, clothing, medicine, school supplies, housing and so much more, all while caring for children who are too young to be left alone. Help is difficult to come by, and Manjira is not the only person who has struggled under poverty’s oppressive yoke.
The blanket Manjira received through a Gospel for Asia-supported Christmas gift distribution late last year changed the course of her life.
The thing is, most of us don’t like to be cold if we can help it. Even those who love the frigid outdoors can’t stay out there indefinitely. Widows and young men alike don’t want to freeze. They don’t want to get sick. They don’t want to die or see their loved ones shivering through the night, either.
So they try to stay warm.
Staying warm. It doesn’t sound so difficult for most people in the U.S., who might even open the windows on a cool night to let some fresh air in, but the story is different for those who don’t even have windows to open. Scanty walls made of tarp or bamboo don’t work the best at keeping out the evening chill. Frigid air creeps through every entrance, seeking to sap warmth from everyone and everything inside.
So we turn on the heater. We pile on the blankets. We wear fuzzy slippers and we go on with life.
Meanwhile, in Asia, poor families build fires—but only if they can afford it. The long task of collecting firewood every day, every week, can be quite taxing. Those who don’t have wood may buy kerosene, but supplies must be rationed. Others make flammable patties from cow dung just to heat their cooking fires and boil a small cup of tea.
Poverty is endemic, especially when money is wasted on drugs instead of fruitful endeavors, as was the case in Manjira’s family.
The blankets Gospel for Asia-supported workers give away are large, thick and cozy.
Why so poor?
Though Manjira has struggled greatly since her husband left, it’s hard to imagine the family was financially much better off when he was around.
We know Manjira’s husband was a drug addict, and though addictions are not always the cause of a family’s poverty, they regularly perpetuate it.
Thing is, sometimes people start taking drugs or drinking alcohol to hide the pain they feel from hunger and cold—two common problems plaguing the poor. Few things warm your body quite as quickly as a glass of alcohol, and that temporary salve is much cheaper, in the short run, than trying to save for a blanket or build a better home. Sadly, what may start as a desire to numb the pain easily becomes an irresistible and expensive part of many people’s lives.
When families are poor to begin with, addictions can easily lead to hungry bellies and naked bodies.
We don’t know how or why Manjira’s husband first turned to drugs, but we know it eventually tore his family apart.
This man and his wife had to wake up several times throughout the night to light the kitchen fire so his home would be warm in the winter, and they could sleep. After receiving this blanket from a Gospel for Asia-supported worker, he and his wife are free from such trouble.
How Could a Blanket Help?
Now, we know that giving someone a blanket isn’t a cure-all for every poverty and woe. Blankets don’t turn irresponsible drug addicts into compassionate parents; they don’t help children understand their arithmetic; and they don’t make fields produce grain.
But a blanket can go a long way toward showing someone they are loved and cared for, and we think they’re worth it. For Manjira, the free gift of a blanket showed her an even greater gift—the love of Jesus. Now she knows that in Christ, she has a husband who will never leave her or forsake her. We praise the Lord for that.
At Gospel for Asia, we are thankful we’ve seen so many hearts impacted through these simple gifts. As we snuggle into our warm beds at night, we know there are hundreds of thousands of other people enjoying the warmth of a soft, plush blanket given to them in the name of Jesus by our field partners.
In 2016 alone, God enabled us to give out more than 170,000 blankets to needy individuals like Manjira. That’s 170,000 people sleeping better at night; 170,000 people getting sick less often, 170,000 people finding comfort; and 170,000 people who, perhaps for the first time, will experience a free gift from the One who gave us the greatest Gift of all.
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Last updated on: December 3, 2019 at 3:21 am By GFA Staff Writer
After a long day’s work, you are probably ready for a hearty dinner, a refreshing drink and maybe even a hot shower. Perhaps you have a book propped open on your table to enjoy before you curl up on your comfortable bed for a good night’s sleep.
Since its formation 25 years ago, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty calls for global awareness of the unacceptably high number of people living in poverty—and for action to remedy the situation.
Although they laborer from sun up to sun down, millions of families in Asia still live in extreme poverty.
What is Poverty?
The World Bank sets the extreme poverty line at living on $1.90 per day or less. Poverty is a lack of money, but it is so much more than that. Poverty means children grow up malnourished; it means parents can’t give their children new clothes when they outgrow their old ones; poverty means illiteracy will likely pass from one generation to the next, as children work in fields instead of studying in classrooms.
In an interview originally published in The Christian Century, Ana Revenga, the Deputy Chief Economist for The World Bank Group, explains how the needs of those living in extreme poverty go beyond what can be described in simple monetary terms like $1.90 per day.
“We can monetize a lot of the aspects of poverty,” she states, “but there is a legitimate debate about the multidimensional aspects of poverty. When you talk to the poor, they will talk about a sense of dignity and about having a job, not just receiving money. How do you monetize that?”
Poverty can sometimes cause “poverty of spirit,” as discouragement, shame and crushed hopes wear down the hearts of parents who are trying everything they can to earn enough for their families.
Gifts that Change Everything
We at Gospel for Asia see firsthand the poverty and struggle experienced by families in the nations we serve, and we’re committed to empowering these families to improve their circumstances.
Every year, we launch a ministry-wide campaign through our Christmas Gift Catalog to help provide income-generating gifts for families in need. Since beginning this Christmas gift campaign, we’ve seen thousands of times how simple, inexpensive gifts like rickshaws, sewing machines and goats radically transform the life of a family.
In 2016 alone, 600,989 families in Asia received life-changing gifts like the ones found in our gift catalog. Many of those gifts are income-generating and will continue to perpetuate hope and new opportunities for families, as one gift did for Prabhal’s family.
Rickshaws are a common mode of transportation in many Asian nations. Some carry cargo while others are designed for transporting passengers.
Hardworking Father Struggles to Provide
Prabhal strove to care for the family God entrusted to him, yet even with the hours of hard work he put in every day, he barely earned enough money to feed his wife and two children. He owned no land, so he toiled in others’ fields, earning just enough to buy rice and vegetables. The meager meal, split between four people, hardly satisfied the hearty appetite Prabhal developed after laboring in the sun all day, but there was nothing else he could do. As hard as he tried, his family’s situation didn’t improve. The high cost of living swallowed up everything Prabhal earned and locked his family into a pattern of living from hand to mouth.
The lack of income affected more than their mealtimes—clothing was hard to come by, too. Purchasing inexpensive clothes just once a year for his wife, son and daughter was problematic. Even worse, Prabhal’s son had to drop out of school, caught in the same cycle of poverty that grips millions of people in Asia. Without receiving an education, obtaining a well-paying job is unlikely, so financial struggles continue from generation to generation.
Extending a Helping Hand
Prabhal and his family are part of a congregation led by Gospel for Asia-supported pastor Nand. Pastor Nand observed the poverty Prabhal’s family endured, and his heart went out to them. His opportunity to help the needy family came through the generosity of believers who had never even met Prabhal.
Some gifts like those in GFA’s Christmas Gift Catalog were directed toward Pastor Nand’s area. While helping organize the distribution, Pastor Nand suggested Prabhal be selected as one of the recipients.
His Rickshaw: An Unassuming Treasure
Overjoyed and filled with gratitude, Prabhal received a new rickshaw at the gift distribution. Rickshaws are a common mode of transportation in many Asian nations, and they provide a steady profit for those who own them. After years of financial difficulty, this simple gift brought new hope for Prabhal’s family!
He quickly redirected his diligence from his field labor jobs to driving his rickshaw. Soon, the income he earned was more than enough to provide for his family’s needs.
Although Prabhal’s son had dropped out of school because of poverty, this new source of income meant Prabhal’s daughter could receive an education. Even after meeting his family’s needs and sending his daughter to school, Prabhal was able to start setting aside savings—yet another thing that had been impossible for him to do before receiving the rickshaw.
“After getting the rickshaw, it is easier for me to earn money,” Prabhal shared. “Now I do not have to go in search of labor work. Moreover, I can easily maintain my family, and we do not worry about what to eat in the morning and in the evening.”
Prabhal’s bicycle rickshaw will probably never be called “sporty.” There’s nothing exotic about it—no shiny chrome, no eye-catching leather interior. But this functional vehicle means the world to Prabhal because he no longer worries about how to feed his family.
“I am so blessed by this rickshaw,” Prabhal continued, “and thankful to the Lord for His blessings and to all the church leaders for thinking about my family.”
Through Gospel for Asia’s Christmas Gift Catalog, thousands of families have received income-generating gifts that will help halt the cycle of poverty in their lives.
‘The Love of God Compels Us’
Now, Prabhal’s family lives above the poverty line, in stark contrast to their situation just a few years ago. Recognizing God’s provision in his life, Prabhal rejoices in the care his faithful Provider demonstrated toward his family.
That’s why we do what we do. We love God, and God loves the farmers, fishermen, daily wage laborers, housewives, child laborers and grandparents who are hungry, cold and wondering if anyone sees them. Through these gifts, we can meet their pressing needs and give them dignity, and in so doing, show them that people see their needs, and Someone cares.
That’s what this day is about.
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Last updated on: December 3, 2019 at 3:01 am By Karen Mains
For those of us who love words—and for whom numbers are a kind of ugly stepbrother—the data, nevertheless, often speaks for itself. In some parts of India, for instance, the ratio of 1,000 men per 800 women is due to routine female murders through infanticide, gender-based abortion, the dowry system where some 10,000 women are murdered annually when they cannot provide the required capitol for marriage, or/and the lack of proper medical care. In 2013, mortality rates of Indian women in childbirth were 167 per 100,000 births, contrasted with only 25.5 deaths in the United States.
The statistics, those “pesky” numbers, go on and on. Without a doubt, they prove that in much of the developing world, women are still considered a sub-species. Yet, numbers can summate the other way; they can become numerical digits of hope, the mathematical consequences of surveys and thousands of interviews, and the scientific measurements of outcomes—indices that prove that dire poverty is being overcome in much of the world, and the status of women and girls worldwide is improving.
Indeed, one of the surprising statistics, welcomed by those who believe in the potential of girls and women, is that the countries that educate their female population see a consequent rise in their national economic well-being, the GDP. Educated women raise healthier children, find ways of increasing family incomes, then spend some 90 percent of that income on their family’s well-being.
According to the World Bank, the return on one year of secondary education for one girl correlates with as high as a 25 percent increase in wages later in life. A class of educated girls achieving a grade-school education will naturally reduce poverty, not only in their own families but in their whole communities. Send the girls to school! The numbers testify to the outcomes.
According to the United Nations, this day, October 15, has been set aside as the International Day of Rural Women. Women account for a substantial proportion of the agricultural labor force, comprising some 43 percent of it; yet, they still bear responsibility for most of the household and family burdens and are increasingly carrying extra burdens, as men travel to areas where job possibilities are more promising.
Yet in much of the world, even in those countries which have been upgraded from developing to developed status, rural women still suffer from multi-dimensional poverty. Due to discriminatory policies, women farmers have less access than men to land rights that secure ownership, to agricultural education and training, to loans and financing, to water and other sources of energy, to new and helpful technologies, to exposure that introduces agriculture that is climate resilient, and to creating communities that are prepared to respond to disasters such as drought or flooding.
The good news is that conditions of extreme poverty are decreasing in much of the world, the bad news is that some 1 billion people who continue to live in unacceptable levels of poverty are heavily concentrated in rural areas. The estimates by the folk who study these kinds of indicators are that if women in dire-poverty areas found the gender gap closed regarding land tenure and access to other assets now available to men, the agricultural outputs in any given geography could increase by as much as 20 percent.
The really good news, however, is the Good News—a message that teaches that all are created equal in the sight of God, made in His image, and cherished by Him.
Gospel for Asia has established a remarkable emphasis on training and reaching women suffering from discrimination and gender stigmatization. This is being accomplished through its Women Reaching Women program.
Women missionaries—who already live in Asia, have mastered the language, understand the cultural barriers and taboos that keep women from progressing, and who themselves have been prepared by going through Bible college—are taking the love of Jesus to other women who are beginning to understand that in His eyes there is no such thing as second-class, under-class or any kind of human sub-species.
They’re also helping start initiatives that will bring rural women out of poverty.
More than 80,000 women in Asia are enrolled in a microfinance system administered by GFA field partners. Women learn to support themselves and their families through start-up gifts, such as micro-loans, brooding hens, farm animals or sewing machines.
I’ve shared a lot of numbers with you throughout this post even though I’m one of those persons who loves words. So now I’d like to switch gears and tell you a story.
Last year, Gospel for Asia (GFA) shared a story in their GFA World magazine about a woman named Aaheli who took on what some called a “risky venture.” With the help of a microfinance program supported by GFA field partners, Aaheli and group of women bought a plot a land and cultivated it to grow tapioca. Through this, they were given a chance to break free from the cycle of poverty. Here is a little more of their story:
Lives of Pathetic Conditions
Aaheli, just like her four companions, desperately wanted a new beginning for her family. She joined her husband in bringing income to the household in hopes that by doing so, her children would get a quality education. She dreamed of giving her children a good future.
Every day she visited nearby families, asking if there was any work that needed to be done. She’d clean their houses and wash their dishes if it meant getting a few more rupees in her hands at the end of the day.
It was the same for Suchi, except she just wanted to make sure she could feed her child. She’d see other parents able to afford good food for their children; then she’d look at her own life. There were times when the electricity was shut off to her home because the bills weren’t paid.
Then Aaheli and Suchi heard about a microfinance program in their area. The program, which operates under Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported Women’s Fellowship, has helped more than 80,000 women overcome poverty by providing loans that will help them start their own businesses.
Maybe this was the way to their dreams.
Aaheli (second from right) and three other ladies who joined her in her “risky venture.”
Becoming Part of the Program
Aaheli and Suchi applied. The microfinance program had strict qualifications: Each woman had to have a clean reputation, an entrepreneurial mind and a good history of borrowing money.
Women would form local “units” and attend weekly meetings that would help them learn more about owning their own businesses, time management and being good financial stewards. It would also be a time when they could discuss ideas and fellowship with one another.
Aaheli and Suchi ended up in the same unit.
Fighting Discouragement
As Aaheli, Suchi and the other unit members grew together, Aaheli suggested they buy a field. They could plant tapioca, yams, bananas, and then sell their produce. Suchi and three others joined Aaheli.
When they presented the idea to their husbands, however, they received scoffing.
“It will collapse,” their husbands would say. “Don’t get involved in such kind of activities.”
The constant discouragement dampened the women’s hopes. “We have other options. Shall we start a tailoring unit? It will be better,” some of the women suggested.
But Aaheli refused to be brought down.
“We can do this one,” she said.
Their unit leaders also encouraged them, but more importantly, their leaders prayed for them—and they felt God’s power in those prayers. Whenever the women gathered for their weekly meetings, they gained confidence and learned to trust Jesus in all things.
More Than Economical Help
With the women’s hearts encouraged, they moved forward. They bought their field, and an excitement at the new venture filled the women. Then they began working the land. That was difficult.
Handling the spades and other tools took effort. They came home with aching bodies and blistered hands, and they cried. But they didn’t give up. Every day, they’d walk to the field and ignore the remarks of men who thought them too feeble to work a field.
Fruition of Their Dreams
Aaheli looked at the field they had bought. It had taken some months, but trees had sprouted. She pressed her bare feet into the dirt and dug her wooden-handled spade into the ground.
Every stroke revealed months of labor and hope. She cleared more dirt away then lifted a cluster of tapioca plant from the earth.
Their labor was not in vain. What they had planted had brought forth life and with it the ability to take care of their families.
Aaheli’s story is representative of 80,000 women who are finding new ways to overcome poverty—now that’s a nice number to see. Even though numbers to my brain are often a puzzlement, I know that sometimes numbers are important. Numbers show what difference is being made worldwide. Numbers can identify the plight of women in impoverished communities. They can also be harbingers of good things that are happening—like for the 79,999 other Aahelis throughout Asia.
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Last updated on: December 3, 2019 at 3:39 am By GFA Staff Writer
Oct. 11 marks the International Day of the Girl Child. According to the United Nations, it’s a day meant to bring awareness to the “challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.”
Worldwide, girls are more likely than boys to be illiterate, to experience higher levels of physical and sexual violence, and to be targeted for infanticide.
Ruth, a Gospel for Asia-supported missionary, knew the struggles of being a girl since the day of her birth.
Once a Beggar for Love
“I don’t want this girl. If it’s possible, you kill her,” the man fumed.
Before him stood his wife and, in her arms, their newborn daughter. This child was a disgrace to them—especially because she was their fourth girl. In their culture, daughters are deemed worthless, only bringing financial burden to their families.
Father Devastated by Daughter’s Birth
When the father realized this child was not the son they desired and had sacrificed to their gods for, he erupted. Their newborn daughter, Ruth, survived that day but would live her entire childhood paying them back for the son she was not.
Ruth began working in her parents’ fields when she was 5 years old. She watched her older sisters wear nice clothes while she dressed in rags. Her father wouldn’t let her eat, so her mother had to smuggle her food.
Hope Rises in Abused Girl
When Ruth was 14 years old, she met a Gospel for Asia-supported pastor and some women missionaries in her village. They visited Ruth’s family often, discussing spirituality with her parents. Afterward, they would spend time with Ruth, showing her something she had never known before: love.
‘You Should Have Been a Boy’
One night, Ruth was allowed to eat dinner in her father’s presence, and she mustered up courage to ask the question she had been wondering about for years.
“Why are you not loving me?” she asked.
Her father exploded, “You should have been a boy!”
He threw his dinner at Ruth and got up, shouting abusive words at her. Afraid for her life, Ruth hid behind the house the entire night.
Ruth Finds the Father
When she told the women missionaries what happened, they comforted her and invited her to a worship service. While there, Ruth listened to the pastor share John 1:12 and John 3:16.
“These two verses touched me so much,” Ruth shares. “I cried out . . . ‘This many days I was like a beggar for love, [hoping] somebody may love me, somebody will care for me, somebody can ask me, “How are you?” . . . but [they] never did.’ After knowing these [missionaries], I came to know Somebody loves me.”
That day was the beginning of a new life for Ruth. She grew in knowledge and spiritual understanding of her Heavenly Father, the one who faithfully loved her and desired her when her earthly father did not.
Woman missionary Ruth (pictured) knew the struggles of being a girl since the day of her birth.
Hated Before They Are Born
There are many others who come from similar situations as Ruth’s. Thrown away, cast out, unloved just because they were born a girl. The United Nations once estimated that more than 200 million girls worldwide go “missing” due to gendercide, the systematic killing of members of a specific sex.
Before they take their first breath, the girl child is hated and unwanted.
If they survive the nine months in their mother’s womb, they enter a world where their very existence is deemed worthless. Daughters are unable to carry on the family name. They require a dowry for their marriage. They’re another mouth to feed when there’s just not enough to go around. It’s the sons who provide and take care of the families, the sons who carry on the family name, the sons who bring pride and joy.
In an article for Mission Frontiers, Elizabeth Reno, founder and president of Give Her Life, wrote, “Every year millions of daughters are strangled, suffocated, drowned, lethally neglected, or aborted simply because her family wanted a boy and not a girl.”
Made in the Image of God
We at Gospel for Asia (GFA) know that every child—son and daughter—is precious in the eyes of God. He created them in His image and gave them worth from the day of their conception, as it reads in His Word:
“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.” —Psalm 139:13–16
Motivated by the truth of these holy words, Gospel for Asia-supported workers share God’s life-giving love with people who believe killing their baby girls is OK. And we’re seeing destinies changed.
Thankfully, Ruth escaped murder at the hand of her parents. When she grew older, she was able to leave home—and her father’s hatred—to attend a Bible college. And when the day came to visit her family again, she encountered a miracle.
Ruth Visits Her Family
As the bus pulled up to the stop in her hometown, Ruth felt the old fear. She walked toward her father and knelt down to touch his feet, a cultural tradition of respect and to receive blessings. The last time she had done that, her father kicked her. But this time, instead of kicking her, Ruth’s father caught her by the arms and, for the first time in her life, hugged her.
“That was a very precious day for me!” Ruth shares. “I felt like heaven had come down!”
While Ruth was in Bible college, the pastor and women missionaries had kept visiting her parents. Eventually, they had also come to know God’s love for them.
The love of Christ had changed her father’s heart. Instead of hatred and resentment, Ruth’s father embraced her as his own. She was no longer the girl child that “should have been born a boy.”
At GFA, we know that life in Christ brings change. We see it over and over in the reports we get from the field. We’re thankful for days like International Day of the Girl Child, which brings awareness to the dark reality that millions of people live with. And we hope many others will see their baby girls as valuable and made in the image of God.
Watch this video of Ruth as she shares her story.
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Last updated on: December 3, 2019 at 3:30 am By GFA Staff Writer
Have you ever faced a winter emergency where the electricity in your home went out for three days and you had to wrap yourself in blankets to stay warm until the electric company restored power? Just imagine what would have happened to you if you didn’t have a blanket.
Tragically, every year, millions of poor people across Asia face winter without heating, sufficient clothes or blankets to keep them warm.
Mahaj, a 46-year-old man, lives in a remote farm village in a hilly area of Asia where people struggle throughout the year because of cold weather. Mahaj worked hard but was too poor to buy himself a blanket. Sadly, his grown children did not care about their father’s suffering.
When Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor Emet happened to visit the village, he found that people lived in shacks and mud huts and were far poorer than in other places. To help them through the bitterly cold winter months, Pastor Emet and his church—helped by Gospel for Asia friends around the world—distributed blankets to the neediest among them. One of those was Mahaj, who was overjoyed and deeply grateful when he received his blanket.
For the first time, he and the others who received blankets experienced the love of Jesus in a very tangible way. Now, each time they wrap themselves in their warm blankets they remember that God cares for them.
For tens of thousands of poor people who live in the cold climate zones of Asia, a warm blanket can literally mean the difference between life and death. You see, their houses, mud huts and makeshift shacks have no heating systems, and wood fires have to be reserved for cooking. When temperatures drop near or below freezing, poor people like Mahaj suffer immensely, and many who live on the streets and in slums get sick and die. The most vulnerable among them are the elderly and small children.
With winter approaching, Gospel for Asia-supported workers are planning to distribute warm blankets to thousands of poor people who have nothing else to keep them warm.
Bijal knew his wife and daughters needed blankets to truly stay warm in their bamboo hut, but all he could manage to provide were sacks he had stitched together as makeshift blankets. It pained him to see his family struggling in the cold, but resources never went as far as he needed them to go.
Then mid-winter, Gospel for Asia-supported pastor Nebu held out a thick, colorful blanket to Bijal. That night, instead of pulling rough sacks over their young bodies, Bijal’s daughters felt the warm weight of a soft blanket—their new shield from illnesses that could threaten their lives.
“I am very happy and grateful,” Bijal says. “I could not afford to buy a blanket even for my daughters, and I was sad about it. But now, I am happy that my daughters can sleep under a soft and warm blanket.”
Through the blanket, Bijal’s daughters gained better sleep and safety, and he gained a new respect for those who carry a love unlike any he had experienced before.
Bijal said, “I could not afford to buy a blanket even for my daughters, and I was sad about it.”
The simple act of placing one or two warm blankets in the arms of a parent or grandparent by a GFA-supported worker can powerfully impact the recipient’s life. They carry home a defense against illness and death, and each time their loved ones snuggle into the warm gift, it can remind them that, although they are poor and overlooked by many people, others extend genuine love to them.
That is our hope—that the downtrodden, the outcast and the poorest of the poor may know they are not forgotten and they are loved. There are times when people ask us why we do what we do, and we always tell them “It is because of the love of Christ.” That is the motivation of our hearts.
Our Heavenly Father asks us to take care of the poor among us. He says, “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother,but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs” (Deuteronomy 15:7–8).
GFA-supported workers see the needs of those around them and willingly give so their brethren are not in want. They remember the words of their Savior who says,
“If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow Me” (Matthew 19:21).
As winter approaches, there will be many poor across Asia in need of blankets. We’ve seen men and women sleeping on cold pavement, holes in their clothing and with nothing to cover them. Our hearts ache for them.
We’re thankful the Lord has given us tremendous opportunities to provide many of those sleeping on the cold streets—and thousands more—with warm blankets over the years. Mahaj’s and Bijal’s testimonies help us to know that our labor is not in vain and that every gift makes a difference.
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Last updated on: December 3, 2019 at 2:45 am By GFA Staff Writer
Gospel for Asia, Wills Point, TX, USA
Do you remember your elementary school days? Maybe they were some of the best years of your life. Maybe you played four square during recess and watched the Mickey Mouse Club in the afternoons. You probably never had to worry about money or paying the family bills. You probably didn’t wonder if you were going to eat that day. Three daily meals were most likely guaranteed, provided by your caring mother and father.
But for Bijay… His elementary school days were quite different.
Dreaming of Food and Schoolbooks
Angry shouts filled the room. The smell of alcohol clung to Kuwar as he yelled at his family. Kuwar’s youngest son, Bijay, hunkered down amidst the familiar scene. His schoolbooks lay abandoned—how could he study while his father was enraged?
Food was scarce in Bijay’s house, but the supply of his father’s strong drink never ran short. Although Kuwar had a job as a laborer in paddy fields, he relinquished very little of his income to provide for his family. His wife picked up the slack yet struggled to make ends meet, and her difficulty to provide food only worsened over time.
Living in the Wake of Destruction
Bijay’s family lived in a village riddled with poverty. Civil war had ravaged the region, and many lives remained shattered. Bijay watched his parents struggle—one trapped in an addiction and the other caught in its wake—and worried about his family. Many other children in his village were poor, but Bijay saw some of his friends eating good food, wearing new clothes to school and studying with new school materials. The sharp contrast between his family and these other families made Bijay wonder when he would be the boy happily going to school with a full stomach and nice clothes.
Bridge of Hope Turns Bijay’s Dream into Reality
Then one day, some GFA-supported Bridge of Hope staff members visited Bijay’s home, conducting a survey to invite additional children to join the Bridge of Hope center in the area. With so many children in need of assistance, Bridge of Hope staff members pray for wisdom and carefully interview families to determine which children need help first.
After the staff members talked with Bijay’s family and learned of his plight, they decided to enroll him in Bridge of Hope. The day Bijay had always dreamed of finally came!
Gospel for Asia-supported Bridge of Hope equips many children in Asia with hope for a brighter future.
Knowing the young boy’s need, the Bridge of Hope staff gave Bijay new shoes, school uniforms, school supplies and even a new backpack for carrying his precious books. Bijay also received a nutritious meal each school day and regular medical checkups, which enabled him to grow stronger physically.
What’s more, the blessings from Bridge of Hope extended beyond just Bijay and his educational needs. This young boy’s testimony goes on to explain how Bridge of Hope impacted his entire family. Through the counseling and love Bijay’s father received from the Bridge of Hope staff, Kuwar was freed from his alcohol addiction!
Children Suffer Under their Parents’ Addictions
Can you imagine living all your childhood life in an environment that fostered anxiety? Bijay’s family situation is one that many children in Asia endure every single day. And that is not an exaggeration.
Addiction consumes.
We receive reports from the field about families ravaged by alcohol addictions. Fathers give their hard-earned income to the bottle instead of using it to care for their wives and children. Their drunken states often lead to physical and emotional abuse.
We understand men—and women—are given over to addiction for various reasons; they each have a story—whether it’s because of the pressures of living in poverty, the disillusionment of life, idle time, negative friendships, etc.
But that doesn’t change the fact that young boys and girls are looking into their father’s drunken eyes and worrying about what will happen to their families, to their tomorrow.
Providing a Safe Haven for Children
Thankfully, thousands of children enrolled in Gospel for Asia-supported Bridge of Hope centers no longer have to worry. Bridge of Hope is a safe haven, a refuge for 82,000 children.
It’s true that not every child enrolled in Bridge of Hope lives with a parent given over to addiction—we thank God for that! But each child has their own story of struggle.
The majority of the students in these centers come from families entrenched in poverty. At such young ages, they’re already accustomed to “survival mode.”
You work to eat. You eat to work. No work means no food. This is what they see all around them. This is what they come to believe life holds for them. They don’t know there is much more to life than simply living to die.
But at the centers, students experience the love of Christ through the love of the staff. For a few hours every school day, they’re free to dream and are encouraged to chase after those dreams. They’re told that a life of addiction and poverty doesn’t have to be theirs. They’re empowered to thrive!
Rescuing Children for More than 10 Years
More than 10 years ago, the Lord God put a vision and a burden for the children of Asia on Dr. KP Yohannan‘s heart. By his faithfulness and obedience, and through the many people across the globe whom have shared that burden, 82,000 children are discovering what life is like without having to worry about their families, about their tomorrows (and that’s not counting the ones who have already graduated from Bridge of Hope). These precious children know they have people who care for them and will help them overcome any struggle.
Here’s the rest of Bijay’s story:
As Bijay’s worries faded away, he diligently applied himself to his studies, thankful for the help he received at the Bridge of Hope center.
“I thank Jesus for blessing my family,” Bijay shared.
God worked through Bridge of Hope to shine joy into the life of young Bijay and to also bring peace to his entire family.
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Last updated on: October 27, 2017 at 1:48 am By KP Yohannan
Interested furthering your spiritual growth? Enjoy this collection of free resources we’ve compiled just for that purpose!
Books and Booklets
Revolution in World Missions
In this exciting and fast-moving narrative, K.P. Yohannan shares how God brought him from his remote Indian village to become the founder of Gospel for Asia.
No Longer a Slumdog
No Longer a Slumdog demonstrates God’s tender mercy at its best! It’s a story of redemption, a celebration of lives transformed from despair to hope.
A Life of Balance
Remember learning how to ride a bike? It was all a matter of balance. The same is true for our lives. Learn how to develop that balance which will keep your life and ministry healthy and honoring to God.
Learning to Pray
Whether you realize it or not, your prayers change things. See for yourself how God constantly does the impossible through prayer!
Audio Messages
A Mighty Minority
God isn’t looking for the best of the best, or those most qualified to get things done, He is looking for the few who will follow Him at any cost. He is looking for the mighty minority.
Authentic Christianity
In his message Authentic Christianity, K.P. Yohannan encourages us to be fully committed to Christ, throwing off all that hinders us.
Infographics
Colorful, convenient, and easy to share, we also offer a selection of free infographics! Download yours today!
Pray for Street Children
Millions of children roam the streets of South Asia each day. The streets of India alone are home to 18 million children who are either orphans, runaways, or discarded by their family. Find out how you can start praying for them today by downloading this free infographic.
World Water Facts!
You knew water was important, right? Here are some facts from around the world that will help you see the importance of water even more!
Don’t miss out, there’s more! Check out our website for even more free downloads!
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