Gospel for Asia

Heavily populated, Southeast Asia is one of the poorest subregions in the world, containing approximately 55 million people living in destitution. 1 Based on a poverty rate of $5.50 per day, the average poverty ratio across the region was 40.26 percent in 2018, with the highest value in Laos and the lowest in Thailand. 2 To learn more about the poverty rate in Southeast Asia and the surrounding area, consider the following: According to The Borgen Project, “Despite widespread economic success, Asia remains the worst continent for global hunger and contains more than half of the world’s poorest people.” 3 In the Asia-Pacific region, 400 million people live in extreme poverty, earning $1.90 a day or less. “At the higher international poverty line of $3.20 a day, the number of poor rises to 1.2 billion, accounting for more than a quarter of the region’s total population,” says ESCAP, an intergovernmental platform in the area. 4 Asia contains 70 percent of the world’s malnourished childr...

The largest continent, Asia also presents some of the greatest needs, with millions of people living in extreme poverty. 1 Though the region has experienced economic success, it also has some of the highest rates for hunger and poverty. 2 But there is good news: There are people overcoming poverty in south Asia nations. Through the help of organizations such as GFA World, there are success stories, and lives are being transformed. Here are a few examples. Preshti struggled with everyday tasks and easily became confused when she visited her mother in a neighboring village of south Asia. 3 She couldn’t read the signs. Growing up in an impoverished family, Preshti was unable to attend school as a child. Instead, she took care of her younger siblings while her parents worked. Education seemed out of her reach. After Preshti married, she realized the importance of literacy. She struggled to read street signs, pay bills, board the correct bus, check her earnings and count the change she re...

Poverty is a worldwide problem. Across the globe, approximately 736 million people live under the poverty line, earning $1.90 a day or less. 1 Many of these men, women and children lack basic essentials such as clean water, proper nutrition or education. Families struggle just to survive. Poverty is a complex problem, with various causes and symptoms, but there are some ways to reduce poverty in the world. There are many organizations addressing worldwide poverty and its effects. Some organizations focus on raising awareness while others offer practical assistance to uplift impoverished people from their destitution. This aid may include, among other things, educational assistance, vocational training or providing clean water. GFA World has been serving “the least of these” since 1979, beginning in Asia and recently expanding into Africa. Serving as the hands and feet of Christ, GFA missionaries help meet the needs of impoverished people, invest in their communities and empower people...

With 17,139,445 square miles and a population of 4,406,273,633, Asia is the largest continent in the world, and it presents some of the greatest needs. 1 Poverty in Asia is widespread, affecting many of the people within its borders. According to The Borgen Project, “Despite widespread economic success, Asia remains the worst continent for global hunger and contains more than half of the world’s poorest people.” 2 Approximately 400 million people in Asia-Pacific live in extreme poverty, earning $1.90 a day or less, while 1.2 billion people—a quarter of the region’s total population—earn under $3.20 a day. 3 A complex problem, poverty exhibits itself in diverse ways. Those struggling to make ends meet financially may also suffer from conditions such as lack of access to basic infrastructure, clean water, health care, education and other essentials. 4 While there are various methods of measuring poverty, the Asian Development Bank says, “In practice, the most broadly used standard for ...

For someone trapped in a cycle of poverty, a poverty mentality is likely an additional obstacle they must overcome. This mentality acts as blinders, preventing the individual from seeing possibilities beyond their present circumstance. One’s attitude in life is fixed, often not daring to hope for anything better. When someone is entrenched in poverty, it drains their cognitive resources, and often leaves them unable to consider the future. 1 They focus on urgent needs at the expense of long-term benefits. This suppression on one’s “cognitive development, executive functioning and attention” becomes “fuel for poverty’s unending cycle.” 2 Poverty often inhibits a person’s ability to make good financial decisions. 3 They can’t plan ahead or invest in the future when not even their basic needs are met. Instead, they trudge along, focusing on today and their very survival. This short-sighted view is then passed on to their children, and the cycle continues. But what are parents to do when...

Many impoverished families around the world are trapped in a cycle of generational poverty. Their parents were poor before them, and their children, unless something changes, will likely be poor as well. Crucial to breaking the cycle of poverty is altering the poverty mindset that often accompanies it. Millions of children worldwide inherit poverty, and often the poverty mentality that comes with it. Scarcity often orients the mind toward immediate, unfulfilled needs, and powerfully so. 1 Such a mindset may lead parents to sacrifice their children’s education to ensure there’s food on the table. This lack of education tends to perpetuate the cycle of poverty, limiting job opportunities and chances to improve one’s quality of life. But what is one to do when funds are insufficient to adequately cover basic needs? This is the case for 736 million people living below the poverty line, earning just $1.90 a day, or less. 2 One can hardly blame them for choosing the sustenance required for ...

When considering how to break the cycle of poverty, there are many key elements. One key element is overcoming the poverty mindset that may cause someone to resign to the belief that their present circumstances will always remain, while another is having the support to boost one out of what could be a deeply entrenched cycle. Millions of children worldwide inherit poverty, and often the poverty mentality that comes with it. Education and instilling positive values are critical in this process of uprooting poverty. With an education and empowering ideas, suddenly the horizon holds incredible opportunity for these young people. 1 For example, through GFA World’s child sponsorship program, impoverished children—many of whom are stuck in generational poverty—receive practical help and support with value-centered education. This helps children “become well-rounded, capable, confident adults.” 2 Children who once had no dreams beyond survival are infused with hope for their future. They dre...

A poverty mindset is a momentous obstacle to overcome in breaking the cycle of poverty. The mind is a powerful thing; one’s thoughts often determine the direction and outcome of that person’s life. When a certain mindset is passed down from previous generations in a child’s development, it can become ingrained in their very psyche. Consider this: If a person’s parents and grandparents before them were impoverished, barely scraping together enough to survive, why should life be any different for them? Why should they hope for any better? This is particularly true in developing regions such as Asia and Africa. Stuck in a cycle of generational poverty, it may not even occur to individuals to dream for a better life, let alone plan for or invest in such possibilities. Their poverty mindset may lead them to accept their struggle for survival as their only option in life, believing that the way things are now is how they will remain. 1 They may never even wonder how to break the cycle of p...

A poverty mentality contributes to the hopelessness of poverty and perpetuates the cycle from generation to generation. Major life events can drastically change a person’s mindset. When Neela’s husband died, she became the sole provider for herself and her five children. In some cultures, widows face incredible challenges. Through GFA, Neela was invited to attend a tailoring class where she learned how to sew. After completing her class, she was given a sewing machine as a Christmas gift. It was a great gift and provided a way out of poverty. Neela began a sewing business in her home and can now see hope for her family’s future. Bhrithi became a widow at just 28 years old. She sold vegetables on the side of the road, but never earned quite enough to meet her needs and the needs of her children. When the city decided to expand the road, she was no longer able to sell her vegetables nearby. She struggled to find a new location close enough to her home. She felt hopeless. A GFA worker lea...

Families in many parts of Asia and Africa are breaking the cycle of poverty. This is a difficult goal, but it is possible! Through the help of GFA and our partners, some of the most impoverished people in the world are learning how to break the cycle even though many have been entrenched in generations of poverty. Take Tavleen for example. She was born into poverty, later married, and then became a widow at 55-years-old. She got a job cleaning, but couldn’t fully support her family. Her son and daughter even dropped out of school to help bring in income. Then someone showed up at Tavleen’s door and brought hope to her situation. Pastor Chintan, a GFA pastor, thought differently of Tavleen than others did. Widows are often looked down upon, but the pastor knew that God loves widows in a special way. The pastor saw how much the family was struggling and worked out a way to help break that cycle of poverty. He arranged for Tavleen and her family to receive a water buffalo! It would provid...

It is difficult to break the cycle of poverty without outside intervention. When this poverty cycle is not broken, the consequences will continue generation after generation. To know how to break the cycle of poverty, consider these key points: Support education When children go to school, learn to read and learn how to think, they are more likely to break the cycle of poverty. Education is important to create hope for the future. In many cultures, children are pulled out of school so they can work or beg. When education is valued, children gain skills and confidence. Don’t forget about education for the adults as well. When parents learn to read and participate in their own lifelong learning, they often gain the skills needed to earn more money in their jobs. They are also more likely to encourage their children’s education. Provide income-generating skills training This is essential. Teaching someone who is living in poverty a new skill that they can use to provide for their family, ...

Poverty is often viewed as a set of circumstances, but the poverty mindset is a huge part of poverty. The generational poverty mindset is described as a hopelessness that comes from the cycle of poverty. If your grandparents grew up in poverty, followed by your parents, and now you are also living in poverty, there is often a poverty mentality which believes that you cannot escape the hardship that surrounds you. Without hope, the blinders are set and it is difficult to remove them without a change in mindset. For many, generation after generation have been trapped within this cycle. It’s all they have known. So the pertinent questions are these: How to break the cycle of poverty and change the course of a life? At GFA, we have learned that these are the most effective keys to breaking this poverty mindset: Child Sponsorship Child sponsorship through our GFA World tells a child how important he or she is. Children understand that someone across the world is investing in them, sending...