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How Does GFA World Work with Children in Poverty: Dental Care, Medical Care, What Else?

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World Toilet Day, a movement created and backed by the United Nations, aims to raise awareness of the adverse impact of poverty; dental care, medical care and simple sanitation facilities like toilets are completely out of reach. GFA World is among the frontline workers fighting against this crisis. In 2015, about 2.4 billion people worldwide lacked even rudimentary sanitation facilities and were forced to relieve themselves in the open. Of those people, nine out of ten of them lived in rural areas. [1] Malak and Jaki, members of a GFA church, were just one family impacted by this problem. Malak had been an alcoholic before he found Christ and completely turned his life around. He met Jaki, the couple got married and they were soon blessed with two children. The happy family had one major problem: they had no toilet. The nearest place to relieve themselves was about a mile away, making it incredibly dangerous to use the bathroom at night—where animals or other people could attack—or in...
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How Can I Help with Hygiene Poverty?

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Even though hygiene poverty is on the decline, open defecation is still a global issue, as well as millions lacking other hygienic practices. From 2000 to 2017, the number of people practicing open defecation went from 21 percent to 9 percent of the population. [1] While that is marked improvement, there are still 673 million people who must defecate in the open. Nine out of ten of those people who practice open defecation live in either Central and Southern Asia or sub-Saharan Africa. [2] On top of that, the United Nations report, “2.2 billion people around the world do not have safely-managed drinking water, while 4.2 billion go without safe sanitation services and three billion lack basic handwashing facilities.” [3] With such horrors continuing, the need for action is very clear. GFA World is just one organization that is working to address the toilet crisis. In 2019 alone, we installed 5,428 toilets, which brought their cumulative total to 32,000 toilets installed in some of the...
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What Are the Effects of Sanitation Poverty?

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Sanitation poverty is so much more than not having access to proper toilets. It entails higher risks for disease and violence as well. More than two billion people worldwide do not have access to proper sanitation facilities, which means nearly 892 million people must relieve themselves in fields, streams or other outdoor common areas, leading to contamination, disease and other dangers. [1] Every year about 829,000 people die from diarrheal diseases caused by contaminated water and improper sanitation. [2] In fact, diarrhea is the second leading cause of death in children under five. [3] Many cases could be prevented with proper cleaning and sanitation. On top of that, women who are forced to practice open defecation are 40 percent more likely to experience sexual violence. One study showed that 51 out of 56 women who have to defecate in the open fear being watched or intruded on by men. [4] Aalia often suffered from seizures. When she needed to use the bathroom, her mother would t...
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GFA’s Work to End Toilet Poverty

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One of the less glamorous aspects of addressing poverty around the world is solving the issue of toilet poverty, the main symptom of which is open defecation. Open defecation (OD) refers to the practice of defecating in bodies of water or other open spaces such as fields or bushes. Despite falling numbers, more than 5 percent of the world’s population still practiced OD in 2020, and nine out of ten people practicing OD lived in one of two regions: Central and Southern Asia with 233 million people practicing OD, and sub-Saharan Africa with 197 million people. [1] A GFA World Special Report says, “Open defecation is a disease-producing practice that contaminates drinking water and spreads diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and diarrhea, which is particularly fatal among children. The incidence of such disease can disrupt young people’s education. In addition, females who engage in open defecation are more vulnerable to sexual violence.” [2] Crude toilets are dangerous, causing disease ...
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What Does the Bible Say about Missionary Work in Africa?

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The Bible gives us many examples of people being sent into the world to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Missionary work in Africa can be said to have started with Philip, a story that still shapes African churches, local churches, and any African country. The Book of Acts gives us a fascinating account of his interaction with a eunuch from Ethiopia, a country on the east side of Africa. Acts 8:26-31 reads, “Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you underst...
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What Are Some Best Practices for Missionary Involvement in Africa?

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Missionary involvement in Africa has a long history. Over time, believers have learned important lessons about how to best approach spreading the Gospel in this region. Dr. David Livingstone was among the first Westerners to bring a love-centered approach to missions in Africa. [1] Later servants such as Mary Slessor showed the same kind of courage and compassion as they served in Nigeria. [3] As experience grew, early missionary societies also saw that patient friendship and practical care could open doors for the message of Christ. They learned that meeting both spiritual and physical needs often helped people understand God’s love in everyday life. [4] The people in Zambia that Dr. Livingstone served saw that he wanted to help them in very practical ways. For example, he looked for new commercial river routes as a solution to the slave trade. The people of Zambia truly felt that Livingstone cared about them, and this significantly aided his ability to share the Gospel of Jesus Chr...
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Why Do We Need Christian Missionaries in Africa?

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We need Christian missionaries in Africa because the continent has a booming population of young people who have not yet met Jesus Christ. In 2016, Africa was home to about 1.2 billion people, and about half were under the age of 15. [1] This creates an unprecedented opportunity in sub-Saharan Africa for an entire generation. In particular, those who have yet to hear much about Jesus can encounter His love as believers share the Good News, open God’s Word together, and grow as communities that follow Him across this vast mission field. The Gospel Coalition also sees this immense potential. It says, “God is calling the churches of Africa to be missionary-sending churches. Africa should be both an important launching point for sending workers and a think tank for missions issues. For the church in Africa, the twenty-first century is an age of mission opportunity, responsibility, and challenges.” [2] Believers from African churches, local fellowships and global missionary society partner...
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