Gospel for Asia

For those in poverty, dental care is a luxury beyond their ability to afford. And yet, oral hygiene is needed in order to maintain overall health. According to one study, “oral infection, especially periodontitis, may affect the course and pathogenesis of a number of systemic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, bacterial pneumonia, diabetes mellitus, and low birth weight.” [1] Most people don’t realize the cyclical nature of many diseases for those in poverty. For instance, dental hygiene is affected by how the mouth is cared for and what goes into the mouth. If someone in poverty does not have access to clean water or healthy food, then their dental care will suffer and the rest of their health will suffer because of all these factors. Very closely related, though we may not want to think of it, is a person’s access to proper sanitation or waste management. Many rural villages in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have difficult cycles of no sanitation, leading to contamination o...

The Poverty Impact Network defines hygiene poverty as “an inability to afford everyday hygiene products, such as shampoo, toilet paper, grooming products, dish soap, etc.” [1] How this looks for each person or family may be different, but the results are often the same: shame, avoidance of other people, inability to get work, not going to school, and more. This “tends to be a vicious cycle,” reports the Poverty Impact Network. “Once a person falls into it, they face challenges in digging out. Without proper hygiene, adults struggle to find employment because they can’t put their best foot forward during job interviews and children struggle to succeed in school. Poor hygiene for children can actually lead to death.” [2] Part of the struggle for proper hygiene for those in poverty is a lack of safe toilet options. If a village or town does not have the infrastructure for bathrooms of any kind, then the people are forced to go to the bathroom wherever they can find a semi-secluded place,...

Sanitation poverty is when a person lacks a private space for bathroom needs with proper waste management that prevents illness and disease. Those of us with abundant access to facilities may not have ever considered this side of poverty before. As UNICEF explains, “Universal access to adequate sanitation is a fundamental need and human right. Securing access for all would go a long way in reducing illness and death, especially among children.” [1] Imagine being a little girl in South Asia. It’s nearly bedtime, but before you can lay down to sleep, you need to go to the bathroom. There is no toilet in or near your home, so you make your way through the bushes and brush to find somewhere to go, but it’s dangerous outside. The dangers include wild animals, improper hygiene and predatory men. This is the reality for millions of people worldwide. [1] [2] It’s not just about that little girl. It’s about the villages, communities, and countries that suffer greatly because of lack of proper ...

The term toilet poverty might be new and disconcerting to you, but the impact of this reality needs to be understood in the larger context of sanitation poverty. Sanitation poverty is when a person does not have access to a bathroom with proper waste management, leading to health conditions and possible illness. We generally aren’t comfortable talking about a subject like this one because we understand it to be a private matter that is taken care of out of sight. In developed countries, we know our waste is taken away from our homes and dealt with safely. It all happens quickly, privately and in a healthy manner. However, this uncomfortable the side of poverty is a reality that needs to be addressed. UNICEF reports, “Among the 1.7 billion people without basic sanitation services in 2020, nearly a third (494 million) used no form of toilet and practised open defecation. In 55 countries, more than 5 percent of the population practised open defecation in 2020. Open defecation is most wid...

The extreme poverty definition according to the United Nations is anyone “struggling to fulfill the most basic needs like health, education, and access to water and sanitation,” to name a few. The majority of people living on less than $1.90 a day live in sub-Saharan Africa.” [1] Approximately 10 percent of the world’s population live below this devastating income level, or about 700 million people. [2] In the UN’s publication Why It Matters, they answer why we should care of these definitions and numbers: “…because as human beings, our wellbeing is linked to each other. Growing inequality is detrimental to economic growth and undermines social cohesion, increasing political and social tensions and, in some circumstances, driving instability and conflicts.” They also say, “The private sector has a major role to play in determining whether the growth it creates is inclusive and contributes to poverty reduction. It can promote economic opportunities for the poor.” [3] Organizations like...

When asking, “ What does poverty mean ?” it’s helpful to understand how the United Nations defines it: “Nearly half of the world’s population currently lives in poverty, defined as income of less than US $2 per day, including one billion children. Of those living in poverty, over 800 million people live in extreme poverty, surviving on less than US $1.25 a day.” [1] In addition to these statistical parameters, people in poverty also lack access to proper nutrition, clean drinking water, and adequate health services. Often improper or dangerous housing is part of their situation, as well. The United Nations has several Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of global issues that need to be addressed. Their number one SDG is “No Poverty.” [2] Their top three goals in this area include: By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day. By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ag...

Though the accepted international rate of poverty is $1.90 a day income, it must be understood that this is a global standard based on many factors and is not reflective of an individual’s or family’s true understanding and experience of poverty, meaning the actual impact and daily realities it brings to them. [1] The rate is mostly helpful in gathering statistics worldwide in order to understand the scope of those living at a certain level of income. The World Bank estimates that around 700 million people live at this level of income. [2] The experience of poverty is far beyond a number used for statistical purposes. For example, a family may have two parents working in the fields nearly every day for long hours. Their combined income is enough to provide roughly enough meals to keep from starving but not enough to pay for their children’s school fees or clothes or medical attention. In addition, their village may not have enough safe drinking water, which means one or both parents o...

Asking good questions and finding good answers can be part of the process that leads to effective solutions to problems. Imagine a little girl sitting on a chair, her legs dangling. She’s licking an ice cream cone when she overhears a word she hasn’t learned yet. “Mommy, what is poverty?” she asks earnestly. Her mother tries to think of an answer that the little girl will understand. “Well, it’s not having enough of what you need.” The little girl ponders this and then asks, “So if I need more ice cream, then I have poverty?” We may laugh or even grimace at this perspective, but the little girl is asking a real question that deserves the world’s best answers and solutions. The World Bank, a global organization committed to ending poverty, estimates that there are as many as 700 million people worldwide who live at or below poverty, meaning they subsist on or with less than $1.90 per day. [1] This is the international standard of poverty, but to many of us, it seems an absurdly low am...

The World Bank’s extreme poverty definition is anyone living on less than $2.15 a day. [1] The $2.15 rate is a recent change by the World Bank; it was formerly considered anyone living on less than $1.25 a day. This change reflects the World Bank’s new way of finding the global poverty level. It used to be determined by averaging the national poverty lines of the world’s poorest countries, but that would mean there would always be people in extreme poverty since each country will always identify some of their people as poor. The World Bank decided to overcome this issue by raising that rate to $2.15 to reflect a rise in the price of goods worldwide. This compromise makes the goal of ending poverty more reachable. [2] Currently, about 10 percent of the world’s population is under the $2.15 rate, which is about 700 million people globally. While this is great progress from 29 percent of the world’s population in 1995, solving poverty is still far from over. Half of the people living in ...

The answer to “what does poverty mean” is multifaceted. Poverty can be defined as a situation in which the earnings are insufficient to meet basic human needs like food, water, security and a severe difficulty in improving one’s life. [1] The World Bank defines extreme poverty as living on less than $2.15 daily. [2] Today, about 10 percent of the world falls below this level, and more than half of them are children. Certain areas, like sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, have much higher rates of poverty. In fact, 41 percent of Africa’s population is living under that $2.15 mark. [3]      Another indication of poverty is open defecation, which about 8.9 percent of the world is still forced to practice. Because people defecate in a field or behind a home or bush, human waste often ends up polluting food and water sources, which leads to illness. Rural populations are much more likely to experience this problem than urban communities, forcing them to walk further distances to fi...

GFA World is working to end the worldwide cycle of poverty, meaning we are meeting people’s physical needs and showing them the love of God. GFA’s Child Sponsorship Program works to enroll children, giving them vital assistance like education support, required school supplies, and nutritious food, alleviating a burden for families, and opening prospects for their futures. Not only that, but we provide food, water, healthcare, basic sanitation facilities, recreation and community service opportunities for the kids. All of this helps break the cycle of poverty; education is one of the best ways to overcome poverty, and right now, there are about 2000 kids waiting for sponsors through GFA. [1] Ashima was one little girl who had a bleak future before joining a GFA program. Sometimes, her teacher would scold her and make her stand outside the classroom because she didn’t have the needed supplies. When Ashima came home and told her mother, she was scolded again. Because her father didn’t pro...

Answering the “what is poverty” question is a bit more complicated than saying someone lives under a certain income. Merriam-Webster says poverty is “the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions.” [1] However, poverty is more than that. It also the lack of a many of things such as: Health Education Access to clean drinking water Capability to improve one’s circumstances and life Sanitation Security Voice. [2] There are over 600 million living in extreme poverty around the world with thousands people falling into poverty each day. [3] This is 10 percent of the world’s population, which is a huge improvement over the last 25 years since the poverty rate was as high as 29 percent in 1995. Specific parts of the world have a much higher incidence of poverty, meaning the percentages in those areas are much higher. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 41 percent of the population lives below the international poverty line though that region has improv...

What is illiteracy? Illiteracy is the inability to read, write, speak and do basic math. It is also the inability to express and understand ideas and make decisions. There are also several other forms of illiteracy that exist in all cultures, especially in countries where poverty is prevalent. What is illiteracy? It’s more than just reading. Here are other forms of illiteracy: Health illiteracy People living in poverty are often uneducated in healthcare and have a difficult time making good healthcare decisions for themselves and their families. It is common for these people to believe old wives’ tales and myths. Financial and Numerical illiteracy People in cultures where poverty is prevalent often don’t understand how money works and sometimes use money irresponsibly. Simple numerical tasks are difficult for these individuals, which sometimes causes them to be exploited in the marketplace. Cultural illiteracy E.D. Hirsch, Jr., founder and chairman of the Core Knowledge Foundation and...

Asia is a great example of how literacy impacts culture and poverty. The South Asia highest literacy rate rose from 46% to 72% between 1990 and 2016. 1 Even though this is significant progress, over half of the world’s illiterate population lives in this region. The majority of these people are women and the elderly. The countries with the highest literacy rates in South Asia are: Azerbaijan, Singapore, Macao, Indonesia, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Bahrain, Bangladesh and Myanmar. 2 On the other end of the spectrum, reports indicate that the highest illiteracy rates in the region are found in Bhutan and Pakistan (55% of adults) and Bangladesh and Nepal (60% of adults). 3 What is being done? Free Education While some countries in the region provide free education, parents still need to provide books, uniforms and other school supplies. For many families, this is unattainable. Other countries do not offer free education, making schooling children almost impossible for poor families. Th...

Adult illiteracy is often listed as a major contributor to poverty in developing countries. When a person is illiterate, the only jobs they are qualified for are lower-income opportunities. With such limited opportunities, it becomes very difficult for adults to provide for their families or work their way out of debt . Sometimes, children are forced to work as well, which keeps them out of school, causing the cycle of poverty and illiteracy to continue. “ Literacy is the ability to read, write, speak and listen, and use numeracy and technology, at a level that enables people to express and understand ideas and opinions, to make decisions and solve problems, to achieve their goals, and to participate fully in their community and in wider society.” 1 In many developing countries around the world, teaching an adult to read, write and do basic math makes a huge difference in his or her life. When an adult can apply for higher-income jobs, they can meet the needs of their family and break...

Functional illiteracy means a person can only read and write in basic forms; their abilities aren’t at the level required in the workplace or for societal activities. In contrast, a functionally literate person as defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), is one who can “engage in all those activities in which literacy is required for effective functioning of his group and community and also for enabling him to continue to use reading, writing and calculation for his own and the community’s development”. 1 Sometimes, functionally illiterate people have had adequate schooling, but they don’t comprehend language or have elementary-level reading skills necessary for effective communication . It is important to note that these inabilities are not necessarily due to cognitive, sensory, neurological or mental disorders. In developing countries, this functional illiteracy is often due to limited schooling . In many cases, children are called u...

Poverty has been declared public enemy number one, so there are many people working on poverty alleviation around the world. In its 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted in 2015, the United Nations listed “no poverty by 2030” as the first goal. [1] This would mean just three percent of the world’s population is living under the extreme poverty line. [2] Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has spoken on his optimism of meeting this goal, and indeed, the world poverty level has dropped significantly in the last three decades. [3] With such big names involved and such progress, it could be easy to assume that poverty is solved; however, events of recent years have set this progress back significantly. Though the downward trend is now re-established, between 75 million and 95 million more people could be living in extreme poverty in 2022 compared to 2019. [4] Lingering effects of global shutdowns, conflict and inflation are expected to be felt in many countries through 2030, so the ...

Food poverty is just one facet of global poverty, but it is crucial. One might think that poverty causes hunger; while that is correct, hunger is also a cause and maintainer of poverty. Being malnourished makes it difficult to work well, resulting in lost wages, which perpetuates the vicious poverty cycle. Malnutrition also weakens the immune system, making it easier to catch diseases that can prevent people from working. Malnourished mothers pass on these issues to their children, resulting in smaller, more sickly babies, permanently impacting their futures. [1] On average, adults who were stunted as children due to a lack of necessary nutrient, earn 22 percent less than those who weren’t stunted. [2] In sub-Saharan Africa, one in three children experience stunted growth due to malnutrition. Stunted growth also affects cognitive abilities, meaning school becomes difficult for the few children who are even able to attend. [3] Struggles with education mean that poverty’s seemingly in...

Though there is no catchall solution to poverty, it is important to answer the question “why is poverty a problem?” There has been progress in ending poverty, but events in recent years have slowed things down; about 10 percent of the world’s population is still living under the extreme poverty line. [1] This has far-reaching impacts on people’s lives and well-being. If someone doesn’t get enough to eat, they won’t have the strength or energy to work. If they don’t work, they won’t earn money, and so the cycle of poverty continues. There are over two billion people around the world who don’t have access to clean water at home. They must walk for hours over long distances to fetch water, causing many more problems. Poverty also causes a lack of education, which, in turn, perpetuates poverty. The barriers to a proper education include a lack of money for uniforms and books and cultural biases against girls’ education. [2] Because of these ongoing and serious issues, GFA World is working...

The term “war on poverty” is usually used to refer to expansive social legislation introduced by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1960s to end poverty in the United States. He introduced an “unconditional war on poverty” in his first State of the Union address in January 1964. This rhetoric quickly found its way into laws and the creation of new programs and agencies. [1] The efficacy and impact of this legislation in America are not within the scope of this article. Instead, this will be looking at the wider range of a modern war on poverty around the globe. To address the issue, the question “ why is poverty a problem ” needs an answer. There are over 700 million people living on less than $1.90 a day, which is about 10% of the world’s entire population. [2] Poverty has dire consequences with malnutrition, contaminated water and poor sanitation and hygiene causing many preventable deaths, especially for children under five. The 2017 UNICEF Child Mortality report states that in po...

The causes of poverty in Africa cannot be solved overnight. Many of them are complex issues that governments need to work out. For example, there are ongoing crises in the Central African Republic, Nigeria and South Sudan that raise the number of refugees the UN is concerned about to 18 million, and people in such conflict-filled regions are more likely to experience poverty. [1] That is not something GFA World can easily put a stop to, but in some major ways, we can and do address many of the problems of poverty. Pastor Kagan, a GFA national missionary, serves in a community in Asia that is plagued year-round by mosquito-borne malaria. The telltale fevers are especially common at the height of summer and right after the rainy season. The villagers who can afford it travel to the nearest private hospital, but about 75 percent of the community cannot afford such care. They have to go to a local medical center, but the free treatments there often do little to treat their sickness. Some ...

With many people sinking further into poverty in Africa, facts show the crisis is growing dire. According to the poverty clock, sub-Saharan Africa has the highest proportion of residents living in extreme poverty, defined as having less than $1.25 a day. In 2010, that number included 414 million people in the region, with Nigeria having the highest concentration in the world. In fact, 75 percent of the world’s poorest nations are in Africa. Africa also has the highest prevalence of undernourishment, estimated to be 20 percent of its population in 2016. [1] Here are some other facts on poverty in Africa: Over 40 percent of all Africans are unable to regularly get sufficient food. Sub-Saharan Africa also has 589 million people with no access to electricity, forcing 80 percent of the population to cook their meals by burning wood, charcoal or dung. [2] Of the 738 million people globally who lack access to clean water, 37 percent of them are in Africa. More than 50 percent of Africans have...