Gospel for Asia

Promoting girls’ education is the key to a lot of the issues involved in poverty. When girls are in school, it changes the statistics in many other areas, such as child marriage, child labor, literacy, abuse, infanticide, violence and trafficking. Girls’ education is a vital factor in the fight against poverty and breaking its cycle. So, how do we keep girls in school? Promoting girls’ education is sometimes as easy as giving pigs. Yes, you read that correctly! Kia, a widow in Asia, wondered how she could pay for her children’s education. She could hardly meet their basic needs, and paying for schooling was getting more challenging every year. A GFA pastor, however, saw Kia’s needs and wanted to find a way to help her. He would often purchase food and offer financial help to the family, but he had another idea for their long term provision. The pastor gifted the family with two pigs. Kia was overwhelmed with thankfulness and joy. She knew God had provided for her. Kia and her children ...

Organizations worldwide use various strategies in the fight to educate girls globally, but there are several commonalities among them. Here are a few common strategies: Identify barriers – In many areas worldwide, school is simply too expensive for impoverished families, which excludes many children from attending. In other areas, the government provides free education, but families still have to provide supplies and uniforms. For many, that is not possible. Another barrier is lack of safety. Often, the long distances girls travel to school give ample opportunity for girls to be abused physically and sexually. Another barrier is a cultural misconception that education is for boys. When families only have enough money to send one or two children to school, they often pick the boys. Assist families – Programs that help families afford education effectively remove the financial barrier many of them face. For example, GFA World provides educational help, tutoring, uniforms and other item...

Inspired by Jesus’ love for the poor, GFA World has been transforming communities in need since 1979. One of the missions of GFA World is to fight for girls’ education. Why? Because we understand that education is crucial to breaking the cycle of poverty. Here are some of the effective ways we impact girls and the women they will become. Child sponsorship – Education is a great benefit of child sponsorship. When children are sponsored, they and their families are given basic resources such as access to clean water, nutritious food, tutoring, school uniforms and other supplies. Program staff encourage children that there is life outside of poverty, which is the only thing many of these kids have known. They are taught to hope and dream of more in life. They learn that education is a key to their future. Literacy classes for women – Little girls grow up to be women, and literacy is essential for higher-paying jobs and obtaining basic life skills. When women know how to read, they are m...

Girls’ education is the cure for many social issues that plague the developing world. Whether it be in addressing poverty, child marriage, child labor, illiteracy, abuse, infanticide, violence or trafficking, ensuring education for children is the key to breaking the cycles that have often raged in the world’s poorest communities. When children can attend school consistently, they can dream of more, and they can see a way out of the cycle of poverty that consumes their peers and their parents. This is the motivation for those who fight for girls’ education globally, but it can be a difficult battle. UNICEF reports, “Around the world, 129 million girls are out of school, including 32 million of primary school age, 30 million of lower-secondary school age, and 67 million of upper-secondary school age.” 1 There are many barriers to girls’ education, including the following: Poverty – In many countries, school costs money to even attend, which is money impoverished families frequently d...

Some people have labeled literacy the great miracle cure to poverty, which is why teaching adult literacy is essential in the developing world. In fact, illiteracy is most prevalent in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. These regions host the largest illiteracy rates at about 40-50 percent, with East Asia and Latin America next at 10-15 percent. 1 These statistics often coincide with the region’s wealth. Most illiteracy can be cured by simple instruction. For example, GFA missionaries are helping solve the literacy problem in Asia and hope to soon expand into Africa. In just one year, 61,880 women in Asia learned how to read and write through the patient instruction of GFA women missionaries. 2 These free literacy classes are changing families, and that impacts entire communities. Benefits of literacy include: Higher-income jobs – Adults who can read are qualified for more than just manual labor. They can read documents, make notes, use numbers and more. Better jobs help them meet t...

Various organizations have different methods for how to teach adult literacy in developing countries. For example, GFA World uses women missionaries to teach illiterate women through patient, caring instruction. They help women learn the letters and characters of their language and understand how letters work together to form sounds. As women grow in their literacy, their confidence grows and their lives begin to change. At 64-years-old, Kaavya finally learned how to read. 1 Suffering from leprosy and the stigma that it brings, she decided to move to a leprosy colony, and it was there she found the gift of literacy. A local team of GFA Sisters of Compassion ministered to the everyday needs of people in the colony. They also taught Kaavya how to read and write. “When I joined the literacy class, I learned lots of things,” Kaavya explains. “I learned not only reading and writing; I learned good habits, roles of women, wife and mother in the family. Now I am very happy … I will not lose ...

Adult education and literacy are crucial in the fight against poverty. Often, people who are living in poverty can’t afford education, and people who aren’t educated can’t find a way out of poverty. It’s a cycle that is difficult to break. “Today more than ever, education remains the key to escaping poverty, while poverty remains the biggest obstacle to education,” says Kristina Birdsong, a writer for The Science of Learning. 1 It’s a difficult cycle, but when it is broken, lives are changed. Education and literacy are the key! At GFA World, when we teach adults to read, we see literacy change entire families, and that impact reaches into the community. In a GFA World Special Report on illiteracy, Karen Mains explains “Worldwide, entire villages with increasing levels of literacy are making social and economic gains when even just a small percentage of the villagers learn to read and write. Much data (a preponderance of which is examined under the general category of education) gives...

More than 250 million women in Asia are illiterate—they don’t know how to read and write. This makes GFA World’s adult literacy program a crucial need. The women in the program face many challenges in their daily lives, and the income potential is low for those who can’t read. They are often forced to take lower income jobs, with no possibility of other options to provide for their families. “ 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 Various organizations have different strategies on how to teach adult literacy , but there are several commonalities. Literacy programs commonly include phonemic awareness—how sounds work together in language. Also, the student gains an understanding of reading comprehension. An adult literacy program ...

The poverty rate in southeast Asia varies among the countries that comprise the region. Southeast Asia consists of 11 countries—Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. These countries are very diverse in religion, culture and history. Here are the poverty rates in southeast Asia as compiled by World Population Review in 2021 and the World Bank: 1 Burma (Myanmar) – 24.80% Cambodia – 17.70% Timor-Leste – 41.80% Indonesia – 9.8% Laos – 18.30% Malaysia – 5.6% Philippines – 21.60% Thailand – 9.90% Vietnam – 6.70% Brunei – unavailable Singapore – unavailable The poverty rate in a country is the ratio of the number of people in a specific age group whose income falls below the poverty line. As a standard, the poverty line is living on $1.90 or less per day. GFA World has been serving in Myanmar for many years, providing tangible help to the poorest of the poor. This country has a long history of conflict betw...

National missionaries are a vital part of overcoming poverty in South Asia nations. Because national missionaries were born and raised in the area where they serve, they have fewer cultural barriers to overcome. They can readily share the hope of Jesus with their own countrymen and women. They look and talk the same. They know the culture and the best ways to communicate. GFA’s national missionaries are handpicked and given the training needed to serve effectively. They have several advantages over missionaries who come from other countries: They move freely in restricted areas. Sometimes these areas are not accessible to outsiders. This allows them to minister in under-served areas. They understand cultural taboos and can avoid them. This helps them respect those they are serving. They know the language well and don’t need to spend years learning a new language. Dialects of nearby people groups are often easily learned. They live in the region and know their way around. They know the ...

The basic definition of extreme poverty is earning less than $1.90 a day. 1 The World Bank estimates that nearly 10% of the world’s population lives in poverty. What are some ways to reduce poverty in the world? Here are some effective options: Promote Education For every year a child remains in school, the poverty cycle is more likely to be broken. It is essential that children learn how to read, write and perform basic math. These skills prepare children for lifelong occupations—jobs that provide greater income. Education also teaches children how to hope and dream of something more. Provide Water For many communities around the world, water is not easily accessible. Water gathering takes hours and that task is often left to women or children, making it difficult for women to work or children to attend school. Easily accessible water helps break the cycle of poverty. Income-generating Gifts Simple gifts can be life-changing. For example, when a family is gifted with chickens, they c...

Poverty in Asia is a formidable issue. The World Bank states that 766 million people were living in poverty in 2013. 1 Forty percent of those 766 million people live in Asia. 2 That equates to 306 million people who are fighting to survive on less than $2 (USD) a day, which is the current poverty rate in southeast Asia . In distinct contrast, the booming technology and industry sectors in this area of the world make the regional economy one of the largest in the world. The World Bank is tracking South and Southeast Asia as the world’s fastest-growing region. Unfortunately, the prosperous side of these regions has not reached its poorest citizens. “Hundreds of millions more live slightly above the poverty line, more than 200 million live in slums, and about 500 million go without electricity,” reports the World Bank. 3 Why are the poverty numbers so high in this region of the world? Why do so many people struggle with poverty in Asia? Here are three considerations, followed by how GFA...