WILLS POINT, TX — A U.S. faith-based organization has hatched an “eggs-traordinary” challenge to help fight global poverty and hunger.
GFA World’s “chicken challenge” is part of its annual Christmas Critter Campaign that aims to “rescue families from poverty and show them Christ’s love.”
‘IM-PECK-ABLE’ TIMING: Just in time for the holidays, Texas-based mission agency GFA World has hatched the “chicken challenge,” part of its annual Christmas Critter Campaign to rescue families across Africa and Asia from poverty and hunger.
“This is not a one-time hand-out,” said Bishop Daniel, the organization’s president. “Providing a pair of chickens can assist a family out of the cycle of poverty. It impacts not only the family, but the entire community in a positive way, and helps the kids to be healthier.
“Everything we do provides the opportunity to share the love of Christ tangibly and practically.”
The “chicken challenge” invites people to donate a pair of chickens each month for a year, helping a dozen families in some of the poorest places in Africa and Asia fly the poverty coop.
Chickens and eggs not only provide a rich source of dietary protein but also generate a reliable income stream, according to GFA World. It supports thousands of indigenous — or national — missionaries who serve millions of the world’s poorest people on two continents.
For more than 45 years, national missionaries supported by the Texas-based Christian organization have helped transform communities through poverty-fighting initiatives, clean water projects, children and women’s programs, and by sharing the “good news.”
Eternity Is ‘Thing That Matters Most’
The Christmas Critter Campaign also gives people the opportunity to donate goats, pigs and water buffalo, as well as other life-changing gifts such as clean water filters, sewing machines, and warm winter clothing.
Practically sharing the love of Christ makes an eternal difference, the organization says.
Giving people who have never heard even the name of Jesus the opportunity to “experience Christ’s love and hope” was the driving force behind the organization’s founder K.P. Yohannan, who died after a car accident earlier this year.
“The only thing that will matter is what was done to impact (lives for) eternity,” he said, just weeks before his death.
GFA World is a leading faith-based global mission agency, helping thousands of national missionaries bring vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across the world, especially in Africa and Asia, and sharing the love of God. In a typical year, this includes thousands of community development projects that benefit downtrodden families and their children, free medical camps conducted in hundreds of villages and remote communities, and helping more than 150,000 families break the cycle of poverty through income-generating gifts. More than 40,000 fresh water wells have been drilled since 2007, hundreds of thousands of women are now empowered through literacy training, and Christ-motivated ministry takes place every day throughout 18 nations. GFA World has launched programs in Africa, starting with compassion projects in Rwanda. For all the latest news, visit the Press Room at https://gfanews.org/news.
WILLS POINT, TX — Can a chicken really change someone’s life? It’s happening all around the globe, according to mission agency GFA World (www.gfa.org).
The Texas-based organization has launched its annual Christmas “Chickens & Goats” campaign on WAY-FM Radio — an opportunity for people to buy life-changing gifts, such as chickens and goats, for families living in extreme poverty in Africa and Asia this festive season.
The campaign includes a “Chicken Challenge” to donate a pair of chickens every month for a year, for the cost of two lattes per month. Chickens multiply quickly and produce fresh eggs almost every day, a life-changer for families battling hunger, the mission agency says.
HATCHING HOPE: ‘CHRISTMAS CRITTER’ CAMPAIGN BACKED BY TOP CHRISTIAN BAND: Hit-making Christian band We Are Messengers is supporting mission agency GFA World’s annual “Chickens & Goats” Christmas campaign — an opportunity for people to buy life-changing gifts, including chickens and goats, for families in Africa and Asia living in extreme poverty. (Photo Courtesy of We Are Messengers)
The Christmas campaign is being supported by top Christian band We Are Messengers and its lead singer Darren Mulligan. The award-winning band has had 11 Top-10 radio hits, including the multi-week/multi-chart #1 radio single “Come What May” and the Gold-Certified “Maybe It’s OK.” You can find out more info and tour dates from the band at www.wearemessengersmusic.com.
Hatching Hope
“We see time and time again how the simple gift of a pair of chickens completely transforms the life of someone living in deepest poverty and gives them hope,” said GFA World founder K.P. Yohannan (Metropolitan Yohan).
Mayra, a widow who received two chickens that helped her out of hunger, told the organization’s workers, “I’m so happy because of your love and concern for me.”
“Our aim is not only to help people like Mayra and their communities escape hunger and poverty, but also to show them the love of Christ — the one who’s able to give them hope for eternity,” Yohannan said.
Other livestock gifts include pigs and water buffalo. Alternative gifts include mosquito nets that prevent malaria and other diseases, income-generating sewing machines, clean water, blankets, and Bibles.
Challenge to Impact Eternity
GFA World national missionaries share with people who’ve never heard about Jesus that they’re “created in the image of God.” They often trek many miles on foot or bicycle to some of the remotest places on earth to provide practical help and “show God’s love to the forgotten and abandoned,” such as outcast widows and those living with leprosy.
“This is the challenge to us all — where will we be in 100 years’ time?” Yohannan said. “The only thing that will matter is what we did to impact eternity.”
About GFA World (formerly Gospel for Asia)
GFA World is a leading faith-based global mission agency, helping national missionaries bring vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across the world, especially in Africa and Asia, and sharing the love of God. In a typical year, this includes thousands of community development projects that benefit downtrodden families and their children, free medical camps conducted in hundreds of villages and remote communities, over 40,000 clean water wells drilled since 2007, income-generating Christmas gifts for more than 150,000 needy families, and teaching to provide hope and encouragement in 110 languages in 14 nations through broadcast ministry. GFA World has launched programs in Africa, starting with compassion projects in Rwanda. For all the latest news, visit the Press Room at https://gfanews.org/news.
WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing a village where ponds and open water wells are exposing them to dangerous illnesses, and the Gospel for Asia supported Pastor who brought a Jesus Well, meeting the dire needs of families.
A group of villagers huddled around a large hole, peering into the darkness. Feathers. Again. They let out a groan—not in grief over the dead chicken, although it was a loss for someone’s flock, but because it meant their well was contaminated. They gathered buckets and emptied the well late into the night. All that precious water wasted because of one little hen.
This well and a small pond had the job of providing water for this village, but they frequently failed their task. In summertime, the well and pond dried up and had to be dug deeper. When the heavy rains came, water filled the pond again, but it was accompanied by leaves, garbage and cow manure. The families in this community needed water, but using dirty water exposed them to bouts of typhoid, diarrhea and other dangerous waterborne illnesses. Something had to change—but none of them could fix their deadly problem.
This Jesus Well provides ample clean water for anyone who comes to draw water, just as the Jesus Well in Aarnav’s village does.
Pastor Brings Water, Life to Village
The community’s water crisis began changing when Aarnav, one of the young men in the village, met a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor, Saadhik, serving in a nearby area. Aarnav built a strong relationship with Pastor Saadhik and joined his congregation regularly to worship the Lord. Pastor Saadhik visited Aarnav’s family frequently to encourage them in the Lord. During one of those visits, the pastor learned of the village’s extreme need for water.
Although countless other communities in Aarnav’s nation face water shortages every year, Pastor Saadhik felt a special burden for Aarnav’s village. His compassion grew into a commitment to pray for the community’s need—for several years.
After four years of faithful intercession, Pastor Saadhik’s prayers were answered.
Sitting atop enclosed pipes that dive deep into the low water table, the bore well now gushes clean water all year long.
Aarnav’s community finally has the change they needed! Overjoyed, around 100 people fetch their water from the Jesus Well instead of the compromised pond or open well. It doesn’t matter how many chickens or cows gather around the Jesus Well; nothing can contaminate their water anymore.
This Jesus Well, which will likely last 20 years or longer, meets a dire need for dozens of desperate families. What’s more, every pump of its handle is a reminder of the living water Jesus spoke of in John 4, which He invites everyone to receive.
*Names of people and places may have been changed for privacy and security reasons. Images are Gospel for Asia stock photos used for representation purposes and are not the actual person/location, unless otherwise noted.
Last updated on: November 21, 2019 at 3:16 pm By GFA Staff Writer
It’s that time of year again when Gospel for Asia (GFA) and many other faith-based organizations (FBO) publish their Christmas gift catalogs. Two of the seemingly ubiquitous gifts available are chickens and goats.I know what you are thinking. “Chickens and goats? How can chickens and goats really have any impact?” Altruistically speaking, we tend to see more value in things like Bibles, blankets, sewing machines, pull carts or rickshaws. I know this because I had thought that way for years. I was wrong.
My mistake was that I was perceiving the value of chickens and goats from a Western worldview. A chicken has little value to me, and my neighbors would not appreciate me owning a goat (nor would the Home Owners Association by-laws permit it).
Consider, however, the value of chickens or goats for a family living in generational poverty in Asia. When you have absolutely nothing, a couple of chickens or goats is a big deal. They are gifts that can be life-altering.
GFA’s Christmas Gift Catalog says:
“The gift of chickens supplements a family’s income and often helps a family get on its feet financially. Families can eat or sell the nutritious eggs, or they can hatch chicks to increase their flock and later have more eggs and chicks to sell. These birds of a feather multiply quickly, taste just like chicken and are really ‘cheep!'”
Another FBO says:
“With a pair of chickens and a goat, you’ll provide a steady supply of eggs, milk, and protein to feed children and help families . . . Chickens are equally easy to raise and will naturally multiply to impact generations of children.”
If this sounds like marketing propaganda, think again. The Population Council is an international, not-for-profit NGO that was established in 1952 by John D. Rockefeller III with funds primarily from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. The Council conducts programs to the most vulnerable people in more than 50 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. It conducts detailed research to ensure the effectiveness of their programs.
“Because our objective is to transform one community at a time… We help them to realize that there is hope for every man, woman and child in that community.”
Would you believe that the Population Council conducted a study that demonstrated the impact of chickens and goats? They did.
In addition to addressing the overarching issue of poverty, the project focused specifically on developing sustainable approaches to help delay childhood marriage.
That raises another question. How can giving chickens and goats help reduce childhood marriages?
The plan was to offer chickens or goats to families as the significant, empowering element of the program. It had already been apparent that education alone was inadequate to change the cultural mindset or the dilemma faced by families with insufficient resources that, therefore, would sell their daughters into a forced marriage.
The empowerment to effectively reduce childhood marriage was the gifting of chickens and goats.
In Ethiopia, families were offered two chickens each year if they agreed to keep their daughters in school and unmarried. The animals were offered in conjunction with a program of informing the communities about the dangers of child marriage. They also offered assistance with educational supplies and an understanding of good animal husbandry.
Because the chickens and goats provided a source of income, the results indicated that girls between the ages of 12 and 17 were far less likely (by two-thirds) to be offered in marriage during the time of the project. Similar results were achieved in Tanzania.
Gospel for Asia does not require a similar commitment from the families to whom you donate chickens and goats. GFA-supported workers give these gifts to demonstrate the love of Jesus to “the least of these” and provide those families with a source of income.
“Chickens and goats may not change your life, but they can make a radical transformation for the poor in Asia.”
Because our objective is to transform one community at a time, our ministry through our partners in Asia takes a holistic approach within each community. We help them to realize that there is hope for every man, woman and child in that community. Our field partners live in or regularly visit those communities to create an environment of hope, love, education and enablement for the entire community to prosper and grow.
To them, we are the hands and feet of the living God and His Son, Jesus Christ. The gifts of chickens or goats are just one of the ways you can enable us to be His representatives in the villages that are most in need.
Chickens and goats may not change your life, but they can make a radical transformation for the poor in Asia. When you give, and when you realize the impact of chicken and goats, you may discover that the Lord is transforming your heart and mind as well.
WILLS POINT, TX — After 45 years of groundbreaking ministry in Asia that includes sending out thousands of national missionaries, a U.S.-based mission organization is expanding in Africa. Texas-based GFA World (www.gfa.org) — formerly known as Gospel for Asia — is moving into a new frontier, with the launch of a new missions base in Liberia in addition to projects already underway in Rwanda.
“Africa is bursting with possibilities,” said Bishop Daniel Timotheos Yohannan, the organization’s new president. “Roughly 40 percent of the population of Liberia, for example, is under the age of 15.”
NEW WAVE OF HOPE ACROSS AFRICA: Texas-based GFA World (www.gfa.org) has launched a new mission base in Liberia, in addition to the construction of a large-scale multi-specialty hospital and training complex in Kigali, Rwanda — a “springboard” for ministry across Africa.
Across Africa, it is estimated at least 32 million children of primary age, mostly girls, do not attend school because their families cannot afford the fees. GFA World’s child sponsorship program seeks to change that, and actively partners with communities.
The organization is also launching projects and missionary training in Liberia.
Training and equipping nationals — or locals — to do missionary work is nothing new to GFA World. In the 1980s, its founder, K.P. Yohannan, launched what was described as a “revolution in world missions,” sending thousands of trained national missionaries on foot and bicycles to “share the love of God” in communities across Asia, bringing hope and healing to places where there was no previous exposure to the Gospel.
‘Never Met a Christian’
Many people in isolated villages have never heard the Gospel message — or even met a Christian — while millions live and die without ever hearing the name of Jesus Christ, the missions organization says.
“National missionaries know the local customs, languages, and beliefs, and don’t face travel or visa restrictions that cross-cultural workers have,” said Timotheos Yohannan, adding that local missionaries “can easily connect with their own people.”
Meanwhile, the organization’s ministry base in Kigali, Rwanda, continues to expand. With one of the highest-density populations in Africa, there is only one doctor for every 8,300 people. The organization is constructing a large-scale multi-specialty hospital and medical training complex that is modelled on its state-of-the-art facility in Asia that helps nearly 2,000 patients every day and trains hundreds of medical students.
The Rwanda-based hospital complex will train medical professionals from across Africa, as well as help set up a network of permanent health clinics.
Plans are underway for new projects in Liberia, mirroring the work in Rwanda — including educational opportunities for children, clean water projects known as “Jesus Wells,” and medical camps where the most at risk families can get free healthcare.
“One-third of the world’s communities are still waiting to experience Christ’s love for the first time,” said Timotheos Yohannan. “No one should die without knowing the love of Christ.”
About GFA World (formerly Gospel for Asia)
GFA World is a leading faith-based global mission agency, helping thousands of national missionaries bring vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across the world, especially in Africa and Asia, and sharing the love of God. In a typical year, this includes thousands of community development projects that benefit downtrodden families and their children, free medical camps conducted in hundreds of villages and remote communities, and helping more than 150,000 families break the cycle of poverty through income-generating gifts. More than 40,000 freshwater wells have been drilled since 2007, hundreds of thousands of women are now empowered through literacy training, and Christ-motivated ministry takes place every day throughout 18 nations. GFA World has launched programs in Africa, starting with compassion projects in Rwanda. For all the latest news, visit the Press Room at https://gfanews.org/news.
WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) founded by KP Yohannan, issued the second part of a Special Report update on the ongoing global water crisis, highlighting tap water safety problems in the USA, and clean water challenges in Asia.
While the U.S. Struggles with Contaminated Tap Water,
Millions in Asia Remain Without Access to Any Clean,
Safe Drinking Water
In Asia, when water is scarce and miles must be traversed in order to attain it, then carry or haul it, pure and clean community wells become nearly miraculous when they are engineered and maintained.
One organization helping with this situation is Gospel for Asia (GFA), which has installed more than 30,000 clean water borehole wells in villages across South Asia, including 4,856 in 2019 alone. Gospel for Asia (GFA) estimates that its clean water projects, consisting of wells in communities and BioSand water filters for families, are providing clean water to more than 37.5 million people to date. Yet the need is so great, much more has to be done.
This mother in South Asia needed almost ten pots of water each day for domestic purposes, so she walked a two-mile round trip several times a day to fetch water from the only well close to this village. After school, her sons helped her fetch water too. This well was the only source of water for the entire village of more than 200 people, until a Jesus Well was built within their town.
The Impact of a “Jesus Well” on One Community
This Jesus Well is in constant use, serving up to 300 people a day!
I love the story from the Gospel for Asia archives about the life-changing impact of the “Jesus Wells” they help provide. Jesus Wells are most often sponsored by donors and installed in communities where access to clean water is difficult or non-existent.
A group of villagers huddled around a large hole, peering into the darkness. Feathers. Again. They let out a groan—not in grief over the dead chicken, although it was a loss for someone’s flock, but because it meant their well was contaminated. They gathered buckets and emptied the well late into the night. All that precious water wasted because of one little hen.
This well and a small pond had the job of providing water for this village, but they frequently failed their task. In summertime, the well and pond dried up and had to be dug deeper. When the heavy rains came, water filled the pond again, but it was accompanied by leaves, garbage and cow manure. The families in this community needed water, but using dirty water exposed them to bouts of typhoid, diarrhea and other dangerous waterborne illnesses. Something had to change—but none of them could fix their deadly problem.
In Asia, when water is scarce, and miles must be traversed in order to attain it, then carry or haul it, pure and clean community wells become nearly miraculous when they are engineered and maintained.
The community’s water crisis began changing when Aarnav, one of the young men in the village, met a GFA-supported pastor, Saadhik, serving in a nearby area. Aarnav built a strong relationship with Pastor Saadhik and joined his congregation regularly to worship the Lord. Pastor Saadhik visited Aarnav’s family frequently to encourage them in the Lord. During one of those visits, the pastor learned of the village’s extreme need for water.
Although countless other communities in Aarnav’s nation face water shortages every year, Pastor Saadhik felt a special burden for Aarnav’s village. His compassion grew into a commitment to pray for the community’s need—for several years.
Seeing the need for safe, clean water, Gospel for Asia (GFA) installed three Jesus Wells to supply this village in Asia with pure water for drinking, cleaning and washing their hands.
After four years of faithful intercession, Pastor Saadhik’s prayers were answered. Thanks to the generosity of people around the world, GFA-supported workers arranged for Aarnav’s village to receive a Jesus Well at no cost to the community. Sitting atop enclosed pipes that dive deep into the low water table, the bore well now gushes clean water all year long.
Aarnav’s community finally has the change they needed! Overjoyed, around 100 people fetch their water from the Jesus Well instead of the compromised pond or open well. It doesn’t matter how many chickens or cows gather around the Jesus Well; nothing can contaminate their water anymore.
Let’s support organizations like Gospel for Asia (GFA) that are bringing thousands of bore wells that supply life-giving water to people—water that is available in little villages and crowded slum communities and not miles down some dusty or muddy road. What a gift clean water is, and what a gift to make it available to thirsty people worldwide.
Until a Jesus Well was installed in her village, this woman in South Asia often struggled to find safe, pure drinking water. Previously, she had to walk two kilometers round trip to the river near her village, to get unsafe, dirty water.
Jesus Compares Himself to Fountains of Water
Perhaps, even more remarkable, Christ used water (let us assume it was pure, clean and healthy water) as a metaphor for His own life-giving capability.
“Jesus answered and said to her: ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life’” (John 4:13–14).
Even young children were happy to have a Jesus Well installed to get clean, safe water in their own village. Now they don’t have to walk to the distant well several times a day carrying heavy water pots.
Several summers back, my family attended the Iowa State Fair with my brother and his wife (who live in Des Moines). I’ve rarely bought tickets to popular music concerts—David and I are more the Chicago Symphony Orchestra types—but this summer, we did sit in the grandstands to hear a live concert featuring Carrie Underwood. Carrie, an avowed Christian, basically gave a gospel-music concert, with most of the people in the audience singing along to the lyrics they obviously knew by heart.
One of her songs that has stuck with me since that summer was “Something in the Water,” with water baptism being the theme:
No way out, no one to come and save me
Wasting a life that the Good Lord gave me
Then somebody said what I’m saying to you […]
They said, “Just a little faith, it’ll all get better”
So I followed that preacher man down to the river
And now I’m changed
And now I’m stronger
There must’ve been something in the water
Oh, there must’ve been something in the water
Yep, even the orchids know what kind of water they need and flourish when it is supplied. Humans are the same.
Yep, even the orchids know what kind of water they need and flourish when it is supplied. Humans are the same.
How wonderful that local churches all across Asia use clean water to meet physical need and employ the powerful life-giving metaphor for the One who supplies those He loves with everything they need spiritually. “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give will never thirst . . .” Believe me, there are no toxins or poisons, no arsenic or radium in this spiritual gift.
There is no lead in this Living Water. This, indeed, is the water we all need to thrive.
Last updated on: September 21, 2022 at 5:13 am 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 last part of a Special Report on a surprising antidote and solution to world poverty: farm animals.
Cursed No More
Like this woman, Raylea received a pair of goats at a Gospel for Asia (GFA) Christmas gift distribution. The animals allowed her to feed and cloth her children and even be a blessing to others as she gave one of her goats to the church in thankfulness for all she had received.
Things changed for Raylea when she received two income-producing goats through a Gospel for Asia (GFA World) Christmas gift distribution. The goats’ milk provided her children with much-needed protein and calcium for their growing bones. Importantly, the goats also enabled Raylea to earn money that would change her family’s circumstances for good. At last, she was able to provide her children with new clothing, more food and even school uniforms. Raylea expressed her gratitude by donating a goat to her local church, so another needy family could enjoy the same blessing she had received.
Pigs may not be the most elegant of creatures, but they provide more meat for people around the world than any other animal.[13] There are some obvious reasons for this. Pigs are remarkably prolific, typically breeding twice a year and producing 12 piglets in each litter.[14] The phrase eating like a pig has some basis in reality; pigs can and will eat most anything, from grain-based feed to our leftover food scraps.[15] Having little to do but eat, they grow very large very fast; a pig can be ready for slaughter in two to three months. Or it can be allowed to grow for up to eight months for an even bigger yield. Pigs require little space, are docile and, contrary to myth, are actually quite clean.[16] It’s no surprise that pigs fetch a good price in the marketplace and can provide the basis for a very profitable farm business.
Even a severely impoverished family can usually afford to raise a few chickens. These birds can provide protein-rich eggs, often on a daily basis, as well as a healthy source of meat. They’re happy roaming in virtually any yard or field and require little in the way of food and maintenance. Donors who may not be able to fund a larger animal for a family can usually help provide a chicken for just a few dollars. And that chicken can mark the beginning of a turnaround for a family that has nothing.
Besides providing for their families, livestock farmers contribute to the welfare of their communities by helping to alleviate malnutrition, which is still rampant in developing countries. Meat is a primary source of protein as well as vital micronutrients.[17] But in many places, it’s hard to find. Instead, villagers rely on scant vegetation and grains, which can’t supply all their nutritional needs. By providing animals for food to these deprived communities, relief organizations and their donors can enhance the general health of entire regions.
Of course, farm animals are good for more than just food. Their manure helps to fertilize the land, aiding in crop growth. It is also used for fuel in many places. Water buffalo are almost unheard of in the West, where plowing and transportation are handled by machines. But in developing countries, especially Asia, these huge creatures are known as “living tractors.”[18] It’s not unusual in Asia to see villagers on the roads with water buffalo hauling heavy loads. Using a water buffalo to plow, a farmer in Asia can plant five times as much as would be possible by hand.[19] That advantage can mean the difference between poverty and plenty. Water buffalo are also used for their meat, hides, horns and milk. In some places, cows also perform these same functions.
Along with providing mutton, which many people rely on for food, sheep produce valuable wool that can be sold at a good price. Some sheep farmers spin the wool themselves, providing yarn for clothing that they can sell or use for their own families. For farmers with limited space, sheep have many of the same advantages as goats and serve many of the same uses.
Any or all of these animals can make a lifesaving difference for people in the developing world. They are all relatively inexpensive to provide and can bring a family or an entire community into lasting health and prosperity. This is why so many relief agencies now focus on this approach, rather than well-intended but ineffective methods of the past. Most people in the world are accustomed to agriculture. Providing them with living assets they can put to immediate use is a wise, compassionate way to help them succeed.
Love that Makes a Difference
Some people are so impoverished that affording even a chicken seems out of reach. That was the case with Mayra, another widow in Asia who was struggling to survive.[20]
Mayra had longed to own chickens, but couldn’t afford them herself. She was so happy to see the love and concern shown to her when she was given two chickens to raise.
“I actually wanted to have chickens for a long time,” she said, “but I did not get the chance to buy them because I do not have any source of income now.”
Mayra had lived with her son since the death of her husband and daughter. Her son had a paying job, but it couldn’t come close to meeting their needs.
“These widows are extremely poor,” observed Anhithi, one of the Sisters of Compassion involved with the project. “Some of them don’t even have proper utensils or basic household things in their house. I believe giving this small gift will really mean a lot to them. They can earn something for their family.”
Mayra was especially grateful to receive her unexpected gift.
“I am really happy to receive this pair of chickens,” she said. “But I am so happy because of your love and concern for me. … I believe this chicken will help me to raise at least some amount of income in the days to come.”
“I have never received any gift before …”
Neha, a mother of four, and was overjoyed to receive the unexpected gift of chickens which will help with her children’s schooling.
Neha was another of the widows who received a gift of chickens from the Sisters of Compassion.[21]
It changed her circumstances for good. She had spent much of her life struggling to provide for her four children, raising pigs and working as a day laborer.
“I really did not expect anything like this,” she said after receiving her birds, “and I have never received any gift before.”
Years of struggling on her own, expecting no help from anyone, were now in the past. At last, Neha’s dream of a better life for her children seemed within reach.
“I am so thankful to you for giving [me] this pair of chickens,” she said. “I believe they will be a great help in raising some amount of money and will help with my children’s schooling. I will take care of them safely so that they will produce many chickens.”
A Cruel Challenge—and an Inspired Solution
Through the work of Sisters of Compassion, a gift distribution was able to happen in a leprosy colony in Odisha a few years back. This woman received a goat as a Christmas gift and she’s been carefully nurturing and caring for it since then and now has three goats, which is a great financial help.
One of the most dramatic illustrations of how raising animals can benefit the disadvantaged comes from a sequestered leprosy community in South Asia. For many leprosy victims in these regions, the stigma associated with this condition often pushes those afflicted with it to the margins of society. Their physical handicaps and separation from society make it difficult for them to earn a living outside of begging. But in one community, the residents have discovered an ingenious way to overcome their challenges: raising goats.
Because leprosy often results in nerve damage, leaving fingers disfigured, leprosy patients can’t perform many of the strenuous tasks that would be required for rearing large animals or shear sheep. But they can raise goats, which require little hands-on care—an answer to their dilemma. With their goat herds, they can earn what they need to survive each month—and live with dignity instead of begging in the streets.
These stories reveal the life-changing benefits that can come from raising farm animals. And they show the profound impact compassionate gifts can have on those who are struggling in life.
It’s easy to change a life by donating a goat, cow, pig or even a chicken to a deserving family in the developing world. There are many organizations that facilitate this, and many opportunities to do so. A gift that entails only a small sacrifice can bring a lifelong change for people struggling to survive. And for those who give, the blessings far outweigh the sacrifices.
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.
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.
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.
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 worked hard from the time he was a young boy and dreamed that one day he would no longer be hungry and be able to give his children a life outside of poverty. “I couldn’t afford a very nice life for my family, 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.
“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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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 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.
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.
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 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 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.
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
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. Learn more about other solutions to poverty.
Along with providing mutton, which many people rely on for food, sheep produce valuable wool that can be sold at a good price. Some sheep farmers spin the wool themselves, providing yarn for clothing that they can sell or use for their own families. For farmers with limited space, sheep have many of the same advantages as goats and serve many of the same uses.
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