Gospel for Asia

Education is key to breaking the cycle of poverty, and organizations like GFA World are focusing on that strategy for poverty alleviation. For every year a child stays in school, her or his chances of sinking deeper into poverty decrease by 9 percent. [1] So, how can education break the cycle of poverty? No country has ever achieved continuous and rapid economic growth without first reaching a minimum literacy rate of 40%. [2] GFA has taken this to heart and is offering literacy classes to men, women and children. People who read are instantly qualified for higher-paying jobs. They can also understand warning labels and street signs, help their children with homework and are more likely to send their kids to school. People who know how to read, write and do basic math are also less likely to be taken advantage of in the marketplace. For many people living in areas of extreme poverty, education is a luxury they cannot afford. That is why our child sponsorship program emphasizes educat...

The poverty cycle is the recurrence of poverty for multiple generations. [1] Hunger, poor health or living conditions and a lack of education and opportunities result in a low income. This in turn leads to hunger and poor health or living conditions, and the cycle continues. What is the poverty cycle? For many in the developing world, it is a life without hope that has continued for many generations. It generally takes an outside influence to break the poverty cycle. When a person has never lived outside of destitution, nor their parents or grandparents before them, a dramatic change of circumstances is needed to break through. GFA World is dedicated to helping break the poverty cycle in South Asia and Africa, and doing everything in the name of Jesus. Taden’s story is typical of someone growing up in an impoverished area of South Asia. He worked as a laborer in a poor community and had few options for living any other way. He had even less hope. He despaired to think that his childre...

Yes! The answer to how to break the cycle of poverty might not be as complicated as one might expect. While the impact of the poverty cycle has often been ingrained for generations, the antidote may not take as long to administer. The cycle-breaker may be as simple as a pair of goats or a literacy class. Poverty is present in all sections of the world, but it is especially concentrated in Africa and South Asia. Most of the 30 poorest countries in the world are in Africa, with Burundi, Republic of South Sudan and Central African Republic topping the list. [1] South Asia also struggles with extreme poverty that is exasperated by a lack of clean water, medical care and sanitation facilities. One of the most effective solutions to how to break the cycle of poverty is animals, which grow and reproduce. When you gift a pair of animals to a family in need, they have a source of income that wasn’t present before. For example, if you gift chickens, the family suddenly has eggs to eat or sell a...

People who are born into poverty tend to stay that way—year after year and generation after generation. [1] If a person is poor, the person’s parents were likely poor too and their parents before them. What is the cycle of poverty? It’s a hopeless, generational pattern that is likely to continue unless an outside force intervenes. What is the poverty cycle? Central to this cycle is the absence of material possessions. [2] Families often grapple with insufficient funds to cover bills or provide nourishment for their children. Access to clean water and shelter might remain elusive, while the prospect of affording nutritious food can seem unattainable. Another aspect of the cycle of poverty is the perpetuated mindset of hopelessness. Generational poverty often continues because a child expects to follow in the footsteps of their parents and grandparents. It’s difficult to imagine a better future when circumstances have been dismal for generations. It’s similar to a child wearing blinder...

When a person or family lives in poverty, lack of nutrition and the stress of never having enough has a negative impact on their health. However, they are unable to pay for healthcare to address these concerns. If an entire community is struggling to find work in order to make ends meet, you have multiple and rampant health concerns across the board. How does poverty affect the health of the community? Everyone is now at risk for more and more complicated health concerns. The World Bank tells us, “Poverty is a major cause of ill health and a barrier to accessing health care when needed. This relationship is financial: the poor cannot afford to purchase those things that are needed for good health, including sufficient quantities of quality food and health care. But, the relationship is also related to other factors related to poverty, such as lack of information on appropriate health-promoting practices or lack of voice needed to make social services work for them.” [1] Ill health, The...

Poverty and unemployment often go hand-in-hand. But how does poverty and unemployment affect the community? There are three significant ways a community is impacted by this dual force: 1. Lack of jobs can lead to higher crime: Without the resources to care for oneself or one’s family, a person may resort to crime. Communities with higher crime rates are never places for growth or thriving, and they certainly are not good places to raise a family. Among one study’s conclusions, “There is a need to align the positivity of judicious income distribution with the broad-based economic growth that would be helpful to reduce poverty and crime rate across countries.” [1] 2. Unemployment increases health risks: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health found, “Respondents who were unemployed were more likely to report adverse health outcomes than those employed and self-employed. Prevalences of fair or poor self-rated health, poor physical and mental health, obesity, and 10 chron...

Poverty never just affects one individual or family. Communities are made up of families, and since poverty tends to run through whole communities, it’s important to understand the impacts. How does poverty affect the community? In a myriad of ways. Employment opportunities within a community can make or break the fabric of an area. With enough economic drivers, a village or town can employ multiple people, raising the overall flow of opportunities and resources for the people who live there. For example, if there is a large farming business, the farm can hire on many people for harvesting and other duties. Those people in turn can buy goods and services from others, and the flow of money creates an economic environment of hope and possibility. Lack of jobs, though, can bring entire economies to a halt. As the United Nations sees it, “There should be a focus on creating better and more productive jobs, particularly those that can absorb the high concentrations of working poor.” Among t...

An individual or family living in poverty faces daily struggles that can leave them vulnerable for their entire lives. But the effects of poverty go far beyond the individual to impact the entire community in a myriad of ways: “The vicious cycle of poverty means that lifelong barriers and troubles are passed on from one generation to the next,” reports the Borgen Project. “Unemployment and low incomes create an environment where children are unable to attend school. Children must often work to provide an income for their family. As for children who are able to go to school, many fail to see how hard work can improve their lives as they see their parents struggle at every day tasks.” [1] In a community with multiple people at risk, violence is always a possible issue as well. Prison Legal News reports, “The Brookings Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based research group, has published a study that demonstrates, through empirical data, what many have long suspected: That extreme poverty l...

The question, “How does poverty affect the health of the community?” is important as it highlights how poverty means so much more than not having money. Millions of people globally live below the poverty line, unable to afford things like vitamins, doctor visits, fruits, vegetables or even clean water. [1] This leaves populations vulnerable to simple and preventable diseases—anemia, diarrhea, eye disease, yellow fever, chickenpox—which wreak havoc on already weak bodies. [2] Many in remote parts of Asia have not been taught basic health and hygiene principles, like brushing teeth or washing hands, opening the door further for diseases that prevent work and negatively impact lives. [3] GFA World supports a medical ministry which helps thousands of communities in need of medical attention, all while demonstrating the love of God. Skilled doctors and staff set up medical camps, which bring medications and health training to areas where people have rarely had the chance to see a doctor. ...

The answer to, “How does poverty and unemployment affect the community?” is somewhat cyclical. According to the UN, “Unemployment and underemployment lies at the core of poverty. For the poor, labor is often the only asset they can use to improve their well-being.” [1] However, the jobs available to the impoverished generally do not pay well. Many of the poorest of the poor have not had opportunities in education or training, so the main jobs available to them consist of menial labor in fields or factories. These jobs are often not steady or reliable, and even working long, hard hours, people still do not earn enough money to provide for their families. So, poverty is caused by unemployment, but unemployment or underemployment are also caused by poverty. GFA World and other organizations seek to break this self-perpetuating cycle by creating employment opportunities. These could include agriculture and rural development, skills advancement, training and promoting self-employment. [2]...

Poverty impacts more than individuals and families; it can hold entire communities in its cycle. So, how does poverty affect the community? A community without a clean source of water is entirely subject to whatever waterborne illnesses may come out of their dirty stream or pond. An area without a school has no ability to educate its children, so they grow up with little knowledge or skill and are then forced into another round in the poverty cycle. Villages that have experienced natural disasters are nearly wiped out, leaving very few resources for food and water, let alone rebuilding any kind of permanent shelter. GFA World is present in many of the poorest parts of the world, focused on community development. The method we use for this is simple and effective: Pastors and missionaries living in the area learn the needs of the villagers. Through prayer and planning, GFA staff determine how best to bless each community/family through gift distributions. GFA attempts to find a way to p...

Millions of people globally suffer from the many effects of poverty. From poor health, to lack of education and shelter, to vulnerability and violence—poverty impacts so many parts of life. [1] As of 2015, over 700 million people were living below the international poverty line of $2.15 per day. That is 10 percent of the world’s population. [2] With so many people suffering from poverty, it is only natural to ask, “ How does poverty affect the community ?” Half of the world’s poorest people live in just five countries found in Africa and Southeast Asia. They are part of the 2.5 billion people who do not have access to improved sanitation, one billion people without electricity, 822 million people who are hungry and 785 million who drink unsafe water. On top of that, 200 million children under the age of five in developing regions are considered underweight for their age, and 264 million children were out of school in 2015, with sub-Saharan Africa having the highest out-of-school rates...

Another link in the chain of answers to the question “What are the main causes of poverty?” is the problem of health and healthcare. Extreme poverty and poor health go hand in hand. [1] Getting an illness prevents someone from working, causing an unaffordable loss of wages. Paying for medical care or medicines further drains already tight resources. GFA World pastor Kagan’s community suffers from the effects of mosquito-borne malaria year-round. The height of summer and the rainy season give rise to telltale fevers. The villagers who can pay to travel to the nearest private hospital do so, but around 75 percent of the community cannot afford to pay for that medical care. Instead, they must settle for a small, local medical center where the treatment is often ineffective. The only thing people can really do is endure the illness and try to treat the symptoms with natural remedies from the surrounding jungle. Malaria is a debilitating disease that can linger for weeks or months. Deaths ...

Inequality is both a simple and complex answer to the “What are the most recognized causes of poverty?” problem. People who are given fewer rights based on their ethnicity, tribe or gender have fewer opportunities for jobs, assistance and their futures. One group that is especially discriminated against all over the world is widows. In many parts of Asian society, widows are considered cursed and are blamed for their husband’s death, [1] meaning their options for employment are severely limited. And even if they do manage to find a job, their wages will likely be less than their male counterparts. [2] Raylea and her family came to faith when her husband Maalik was miraculously healed from a 3-year illness through the prayers of local a GFA World pastor. But just five months later, Maalik suddenly fell sick again and, despite medical attention, he passed away, leaving a heartbroken Raylea to care for two small children on her own. They had barely managed to scrape by on Maalik’s earnin...

Asking “What are the major causes of poverty?” opens a complicated, interconnected web of answers that feed into one another: hunger, disease, inequality, war, all of these are related roots of poverty. And another contributing factor to poverty is lack of education. In 2014, about 263 million children and teens were not attending school. As many as 70 percent of that number lived in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. [1] Poverty and lack of education are both self-perpetuating. An uneducated mother has fewer opportunities for jobs and therefore fewer resources for her children, so she cannot ensure they receive an education. Thus, another generation suffers from illiteracy and poverty. [2] One such mother was Dayita. She lived in Asia with four children and an alcoholic husband, who became too sick to work or even leave his bed. Dayita had to become the sole breadwinner for her family, but she was illiterate, meaning the only option open to her was manual labor. Like many other illit...

The question “What are the causes of poverty?” may seem simple, but it has many answers. In fact, most cases of poverty are caused by a combination of factors, [1] so solving the problem of poverty must also be a multifaceted effort. The global poverty line is considered living on $2.15 or less per day. [2] This seems incomprehensibly small, but about 719 million people around the world live below this extreme poverty line. [3] That is about 10 percent of the global population. While that number has been shrinking, events of recent years—diseases and conflicts—have hindered further progress in ending poverty. [4] Poverty is present all over the world, but it is especially concentrated in Africa and Asia. Nineteen of the twenty poorest countries on the planet are in Africa. [5] With so many people struggling to survive below the $2.15 a day line, answering what are the major causes of poverty? could help in continuing to fight the problem. A very simplified explanation is that pove...

GFA World is active in much of the 10/40 window, including Bangladesh, Nepal, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, China and other countries. [1] Friends and supporters of GFA have been gifting animals to families in South Asia for over a decade. Gifts like these make a life-changing difference to a family and can help break the cycle of poverty. Kalman is a great example of how GFA’s ministry works: [2] A simple gift helped Kalman change the trajectory of his life and the life of his family. He was living on a small plot of land which wasn’t big enough to farm, so he worked as a manual laborer. As hard as he worked, he could not earn enough money to support his family. When a GFA missionary saw his need, he gifted Kalman with a pig! That simple gift had ripple-effects of blessing. That one sow delivered eight piglets, and Kalman sold them for $40 each. Another litter brought more piglets, and he was able to gift one to a neighbor and help their family too. Now two families have been blessed! The...

Here are most of the countries in the 10/40 window as designated by Window International Network: [1] North Africa – Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, Western Sahara West Africa –Burkina-Faso, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, East Africa – Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia Southeast Europe – Albania Arabian Peninsula – Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen Middle East – Gaza Strip, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, West Bank Central Asia – Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan East Asia – China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, Taiwan, Tibet South Asia – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka Southeast Asia – Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam It has been reported that 87% of the people in the 10/40 window are the poorest of the poor. [2] GFA World works in several of these ...

Several organizations collect and study 10/40 window statistics. Their findings help missions organizations develop effective ministries to help the people of the area. Here are some statistics of this region: There are 5.32 billion people who live in the revised 10/40 window. [1] There are 8,882 distinct people groups in the revised window. Of those, 6,147 or 69.2% are considered uncontacted (3.28 billion people). [2] Some of the largest people groups in the world live inside the 10/40 window, including Shaikh, Yadava, Turks, Moroccan Arabs, Pashtun, Jat and Burmese. [3] Windows International estimates that 1.6 billion of these people have never had the chance to hear about the love of Jesus Christ. [4] The 10/40 window is also home to some of the poorest people in the world. This has caused ministries and humanitarian organizations to pour help into this region. It is reported that 87% of people living in this region are the poorest of the poor, living on an average of only $250 per ...

When answering, “What is the 10/40 window?” the most basic definition according to Ends of the Earth Ministries is “a rectangular area of North Africa, the Middle East and Asia, between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude.” [1] It is important to also remember that this window represents more than a designation on the map. It is home to the beautiful people of this region of the world, many of whom are Muslims and followers of traditional Asian religions. [2] This area is said to be the most closed to the Christian message. What is the 10/40 window? The history is interesting: In 1989 and 1990, Luis Bush and Pete Holzmann analyzed the region using a box located between 10 and 40 degrees north of the equator. They called it the 10/40 box. Later, Bush’s wife renamed the box “the 10/40 window” because a window represents an opportunity to see important mission realities more clearly. [3] Prior to Bush and Holzmann’s research, the region was known as the “resistant belt” or th...

A recent revision has added several countries to the list of 10/40 window nations, highlighting the growing need to share the Gospel with the most inaccessible people in the world. Albania is now included, as well as Azerbaijan, Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia. The revision acknowledges countries that have large populations who have yet to hear about Christ that are not completely—or even mostly—inside the 10 degrees north to 40 degrees north latitudes. [1] GFA World works in many of the Asian countries that have always been on the list. Surprisingly, a number of the most populated countries in the world are largely untouched. In China, for example, 441 out of the 545 people groups are considered inaccessible. The largest religion in China is atheism, and only 9 percent of the population is Christian. [2] GFA has a presence in China, despite the government highly restricting the practice of Christianity. Even though persecution is reported in most parts of China, the “underground” churc...

GFA World’s 10/40 window missionaries are faced with difficult circumstances, but they love God and follow His command to reach those who’ve never heard His Good News. They are uniquely qualified to share God’s love with people whose culture is their own. Sothear is just one of many missionaries working in the “Resistant Belt.” Thirty years ago, he was the first person in his village to receive Christ, and it changed his life. He went to Bible college for training, which equipped him to return to his village to share the Good News. Through Sothear’s teaching, many people became believers, and one church after another was started until there were six established churches. God was truly working! However, there was a need for a church home in Sothear’s own village. Unlike the other five churches, the congregants in his village had no permanent structure. They had been meeting for worship in a makeshift building for decades because the believers lacked the money to buy land or materials fo...