Gospel for Asia

Before you donate a water well in Africa, it is prudent to make sure you are making a wise investment. Consider the following FAQs we receive at GFA World.  We think these are great questions and want to share our answers with you: Does the organization have a proven track record of water well drilling? At GFA World, we’ve been ministering in Asia for 40 years and have a proven track record of helping some of the poorest areas get and maintain access to clean drinking water. We are excited to use that experience in Africa as well. How deep are the wells drilled? At GFA World, we are committed to drilling wells as deep as necessary to provide clean water in all seasons, including in times of drought. Our wells are drilled using locals, which keeps the costs down and also helps the local economy. How long will the well last? Our first well was drilled in South Asia over 20 years ago. This well is still operating properly and has been life-changing to that community. Of course, not al...

Access to clean water in Rwanda is a growing problem. Of the 12.5 million people in Rwanda, it is estimated that only 57% have access to clean drinking water. That means that the remainder of the people need to walk over 30 minutes to find a source for clean, uncontaminated water. 1 What problems result from this lack of water? Most often, women and children hold the burden of water collection, which sometimes takes hours each day. While these women are collecting water, they cannot be working or raising their families. The children who are helping cannot be in school. Two of the primary keys to breaking the cycle of poverty are income-generating work and education. When women and children are spending time collecting water, they are not working or going to school. When travel to clean water isn’t possible, people resort to drinking water that is contaminated, which results in waterborne disease. When water pollution is present, drinking water is often contaminated with pathogens that ...

The beautiful country of Rwanda is home to about 12.5 million people. UNICEF estimates that only 57% of those people have access to clean drinking water within a 30-minute walk of their home. Along with that, only 64% have access to sanitation services like toilets and only 5% of households have a place for handwashing. 1 This is why water projects in Rwanda are essential. While the poverty rate declined from 77% in 2001 to 55% in 2017, there has been a major setback from COVID-19. The poverty rate is likely to increase, perhaps by 5.1% in 2021, due to limited health care and losses in education. 2 Due to these poverty rates, we know that water projects in Rwanda are needed to help break the poverty cycle and relieve pressure on the people. GFA World recently began working in Rwanda, specifically in the slums of Kigali, the capital city. Since Rwanda is one of the most densely populated African nations, we have many projects planned throughout the area. The initiative in Kigali is th...

Water projects in Africa are essential to a continent plagued by water stress. Countries in Africa and South Asia, where 85 percent of the world’s people live, face the formidable challenge of providing enough water for the entire population. Water scarcity in Africa results in people drinking contaminated water that is ridden with waterborne disease. Diarrhea kills about 1.5 million children every year, and more than 80 percent of those children are from Africa and South Asia. The World Health Organization estimates that 88 percent of those childhood deaths are caused by water-related issues—unsafe water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene. 1 Let’s study one African country as an example Water problems in Burkina Faso are caused by drought, contamination, and lack of economic help. As a landlocked country in the Savanna region, Burkina Faso suffers through eight months of dry weather each year. 2 On top of that, there are often severe droughts, making water very difficult to f...

If you’re considering donating to a poverty relief organization, you’ll likely want to know a little more about the organization, its history and its track record before you do so. You likely want to make a wise investment with your charitable giving and give to an organization that is making a significant difference. Consider the following about GFA World: Founded by K.P. Yohannan, GFA World (previously known as Gospel for Asia) has been serving “the least of these” since 1979, first in Asia and now also in Africa. GFA World serves in 16 Asian nations and in Rwanda, Africa. A well-established international mission organization, GFA World is deeply committed to seeing lives and communities transformed through God’s Word and compassion. GFA World’s focus and goal as a ministry is to serve and minister to children, families and entire communities that are underserved and impoverished in places such as Asia and Africa. GFA World’s national missionaries serve as the hands and feet of Chris...

If you’re seeking to help your fellow man, you may be wondering how you can donate to a poverty organization. With millions living below the poverty line, the needs around the world are substantial. You can help these men, women and children by giving to numerous organizations that are making a difference. Today, most organizations accept online donations, whether they’re one-time gifts or monthly support. Typically, you can also give over the phone or via mail. For monthly donations, you can often even set up automatic contributions that make giving easy. Not all gifts need be cash offerings. Many organizations accept gifts-in-kind or other non-cash gifts. If you are giving monetarily, some employers offer matching programs for charitable giving, so you may be able to multiple your impact. Though there are many standard ways of giving, the specific methods and options will vary from organization to organization. A quick online search of your desired organization will likely yield a li...

There are numerous organizations that help poverty worldwide. With 736 million people living below the poverty line, the need is great. 1 While some organizations focus on helping impoverished people in America or other developed countries, other organizations focus on the dire needs within developing countries. For example, GFA World serves impoverished people in places such as Asia and Africa. Poverty is a common force that fuels many major global concerns, such as health care, education, equality for women and protection for endangered children. 2 When individuals are fighting just to survive and feed their families, they often can’t afford to expend time or resources toward more advanced concerns. 3 According to a GFA World special report, “Lacking adequate housing, hygiene, health care and education because they simply don’t have enough money, they pay a high price: disease, discrimination and, often, early death.” 4 But when organizations such as GFA World help families rise o...

Worldwide, there are approximately 736 million people living below the poverty line, earning $1.90 a day or less. 1 Many of these people are entrenched in cyclical poverty, handed down from one generation to the next. They lack the resources they need, such as education and health care, to succeed in life and break free from this vicious cycle. To help these people escape poverty, organizations such as GFA World assist and empower the poor in various areas of need. Founded in 1979, GFA World, a poverty relief organization , has been serving “the least of these” for more than four decades. GFA World empowers impoverished people in places like Asia and Africa to improve their lives and overcome poverty. It is transforming lives and communities through practical help given with the tangible love of Christ. This work is accomplished through four main avenues: sponsoring national missionaries to minister to people’s needs, sponsoring children, investing in community development, and helpi...

Globally, around 736 million people live in extreme poverty. They often lack sufficient housing, hygiene, health care, and education. While the trend is going in the right direction, 1 in 10 people are still left below the extreme poverty indicator of earning $1.90 per day. These “chronically poor” are mainly found in South Asia 1 —where GFA World, a poverty relief organization is active. How can you help? Check out these examples of how GFA World is helping families in Asia and Africa: Animals Two chickens can make the difference to help a family out of extreme poverty. The eggs can be sold or hatched to provide ongoing income for the family. A lamb, cow, or goat can provide milk for drinking or to sell and dung for fuel or fertilizer. Work Supplies When a woman is gifted a sewing machine and some training, she is equipped for a new career as a tailor. Or when someone is given a pull-cart to make selling their vegetables more efficient, lives are changed. Educational Opportunities Per...

When you donate to poverty organizations that give income-generating gifts, you are making a lasting impact. These gifts provide an opportunity for a person struggling with poverty to have income in the future. The simple gift of an income-generating animal or item can be a big turning point for a family. Oftentimes, a simple gift enables families to afford education, nutritious food, health care, and other necessary items. Animals Cows, goats, pigs, lambs, and chickens are helpful income-generating gifts. For example, cows produce calves, which can be sold. They also provide milk for a family to drink or sell to neighbors. Cows can also help cultivate and fertilize their fields. Sewing Machines When a family is gifted with a sewing machine and trained in tailoring, it opens a myriad of income-generating possibilities. The gift offers more than skills, it offers hope. Pull Carts This may seem like a simple gift, but it can be life-changing. When a gardener needs to transport produce t...

GFA World, one of the organizations that help poverty, has used local workers instead of foreigners for over 40 years. This proves to be an enormous advantage for a myriad of reasons. Locals are Free to Serve Since we have historically worked in Asian countries, it is important to note that over 85 percent of Asian countries don’t allow western missionaries to serve freely. Our local workers aren’t held to this restriction. These faithful people serve without interruption. Locals are One with the People In the eyes of the local people, national workers don’t represent a foreign land or strange religion. National workers are one of them. They know the language and the best ways to communicate effectively. They are sensitive to the needs of their neighbors and family. Locals are Able to Help Local workers are available to serve in a variety of locations—slums, villages, cities, etc. They are trained to readily see the needs of the people, step in with solutions and help. Locals are Cost ...

There are many poverty organizations tackling the causes and results of poverty around the world. These organizations focus on different missions and purposes. While the basic definition of extreme poverty is earning less than $1.90 a day, 1 the economic definition is only a portion of the equation. Many organizations that help poverty also help people overcome spiritual poverty, educational poverty and generational poverty to name just a few. What should you investigate when considering which poverty organizations to support? Here are some questions to ask, followed by GFA World’s response as an example of how a poverty relief organization might respond: In what regions of the world does the organization work? Do I have a heart for a particular region of the world? Do I want to support a poverty organization near me? Consider whether you’d like to support organizations that help with poverty in your local community or one that concentrates on a specific region of the world. GFA Wor...

While studying the effects of poverty on child development, it is interesting to see how poverty impacts the entire person. It isn’t simply a need for material things such as food, water and shelter. Poverty impacts a child holistically. An exhaustive list of the effects of poverty would be volumes long, but here is a summary of some key ways poverty impacts child development: Poverty impacts cognitive development. Studies have shown that children who are born into poverty enter school with lower readiness scores. They often have fewer motor skills and lack the attentiveness necessary for school. In many areas around the world, parents cannot afford to enroll their children in school, so cognitive development is exasperated even further. In some areas, school tuition is provided free of charge by the government, but the families are still unable to pay for supplies, uniforms and other requirements. Poverty impacts physical health. Poor nutrition and a lack of food security, byproducts ...

Poverty impacts education in a major way. An exhaustive answer to “How does poverty affect education?” would be volumes long, but to summarize, here are four main areas below. A report in 2014 estimated that 263 million children and teens were not attending school. More than 70 percent of the out-of-school children who should have been in primary or secondary education lived in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. 1 Even though many families know that education is key to escaping poverty, it is often out of their reach. Many families in poverty are unable to afford to send their kids to school. In many areas, school costs money for enrollment, uniforms and other supplies. This is a significant expense for families who are having difficulty meeting the basic needs of each person, such as food, water and shelter. When children attend school, they are unable to work to help provide for the needs of the family, which impoverished children may be forced to do. Those children miss the oppor...

Education poverty , also called learning poverty , is defined this way by the World Bank : “Learning poverty means being unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10.” 1 According to that indicator, 53 percent of children in low- and middle-income countries “cannot read and understand a simple story by the end of primary school. In poor countries, the level is as high as 80 percent.” 2 It is estimated that over 260 million children are not even in school. This statistic will greatly impact the future economy of these communities. It is almost impossible for a person to break the cycle of poverty when he or she is not educated or is without the crucial skills of reading, writing and basic math. Educational poverty also impacts other aspects of a child’s life: Emotional development is often impacted. As children grow and attend school, they learn how their emotions work and impact others. Relational growth is impacted. Without consistent schooling, it becomes harder for children...

The world experiences a self-perpetuating problem with poverty and education. In a sense, it’s a “chicken and egg” type of situation. Which came first: low education or poverty? When parents are stuck in a cycle of generational poverty, they often raise their children without education. Sometimes they can’t afford to send their kids to school or they don’t see the benefit of education in their daily struggle to survive. Likewise, when a person doesn’t get an education, poverty is often the result. For that reason, education is a major key to ending the cycle of poverty, but, unfortunately, poverty is still one of the largest obstacles to education. In order for this self-perpetuating problem of poverty and education to cease, there needs to be something that breaks the cycle. That’s where GFA World comes in! Dayita is a living example of the impact of poverty and education. Dayita, a mother of four children, lives in Asia. With her husband ill, she was forced to provide for her family ...

Widows’ legal rights are often disregarded. Widows are perceived as easy targets for exploitation in many countries, and destitution often follows. In many countries, particularly in Africa and Asia, widows experience significant legal issues that leave them stripped of their inheritance, their property rights and their social status. Addressing these systemic issues is vital to ensure that widows can live securely with dignity. World Bank Policy Reforms In seeking to mitigate the disadvantages widows experience, The World Bank lists important policy reforms that involve ownership of property, rights to inherit, the requirement for registration of customary marriages and widows’ pensions. Victoria Stanley, a World Bank land specialist, highlights how important it is to implement broad protective measures that ensure no one loses their home during times of crisis. She also calls for reform of inheritance laws and marital property regimes to facilitate more effective realization of women...

Women around the world who are widowed often have the experience of grief and loss compounded by the cultural stigmas of widowhood. Widows are one of the most marginalized and outcast groups in many cultures, especially in Africa and Asia where they live under an avalanche of hardships and superstitions. Such societies force them into further isolation, often accompanied by the loss of basic rights that are essential to moving past their grief. In Nigeria, widows face dehumanizing rituals and accusations based on cultural beliefs. Some traditions ask women to take an oath to prove their innocence when their husband dies. Other cultural practices will keep a woman confined in mourning for long periods of time or make her drink water used to bathe the body of her late husband. [1] While hard to believe, practices like these are common. They undermine the dignity of widows and expose them to physical torture as well as psychological abuse. In Nepal, widows are often held responsible for t...

The multifaceted challenges faced by widows are significant, both socially and economically, and often render these women marginalized, if not destitute. Losing a husband not only brings the anguish of loss and grief but can also begin a series of grinding miseries: eviction, the loss of all rights to property and even social stigma. The dire situation of a widow is compounded in Asia and Africa where cultural norms and economic insecurity make them particularly vulnerable. For example, widows in South Asia are often stigmatized and accused of causing their husbands’ deaths. They may be stripped of their land by their in-laws and thrown out of their homes. They cannot get access to education or employment and have very few means of supporting their own children. [1] In Africa, widows lose their property rights and are subject to dehumanizing rituals. Widows in Nigeria are stigmatized as witches and coerced into rites that falsely accuse them of being responsible for their situations, ...