Gospel for Asia

Girls’ education in South Asia is improving. In 2006, 10.3 percent of girls (ages 11-14) in one South Asian country were not attending school. In 2018, that number had declined to only 4.1 percent. It is becoming more acceptable in this region for girls to attend school. This is due in part to the Right to Education (RTD) Act that guaranteed free education to all children in this country until age 14. [1] However, there is still a long way to go to see that this act is enforced. What is keeping some girls from attending school in South Asia? Because of financial strain on the family, many girls from poor families are made to do housework instead of attending school. Often, mothers go to the fields to do agricultural work to help with the family’s income, which leaves the housework to the daughters of the family. [2] Marriage also keeps girls from education. In some countries of South Asia, as many as 47 percent of girls are wed before the age of 18 preventing them from attending schoo...

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) defines child marriage as “a formal or informal union where one or both parties are under the age of 18.” [1] Around the world, an estimated 12 million girls are married each year before their 18th birthday. Education of the girl child is essential to lowering this number since it is one of the keys to preventing child marriage. According to UNESCO, enabling all girls to have a primary education would reduce child marriage rates by a sixth. [2] When girls stay in school, they can develop a foundation for a better life for themselves and for their family. Access – Education needs to be made available to girls. This includes reducing the cost of education or substantially helping families who are unable to afford the fees and supplies. It also requires schools to provide appropriate sanitation and hygiene facilities for girls. Knowledge – School curriculum and training must empower girls to see an alternative to early marr...

The level of a girl child’s education significantly impacts her future and the future of her family. This is especially true in developing countries where many girls are unable to attend school. Sometimes the school lacks the sanitation facilities that a girl requires or her family simply cannot afford to send her to school. No matter the situation, a lack of education often keeps girls stuck in the cycle of poverty. Here are some ways education can dramatically impact a girl’s future: Education delays marriage. This may seem insignificant, but in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, it is crucial as it impacts child marriage rates. When girls are in school, they are less likely to marry prior to age 18. [1] Education significantly increases lifetime earnings. [2] This benefits individuals as well as communities. Millions of educated girls could boost global economy by up to $12 trillion USD. [3] Educated women are also better able to provide for their families and help them out of po...

Over 250 million women in Asia are illiterate. [1] Much data indicates that learning to read and write is one of the great miracle cures of poverty. [2] When you sponsor a girl’s education, you are providing a resource that will impact her for life. It will also impact her family and community for generations to come. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) identifies the impact of education in their report: “Literacy is … a driver for sustainable development in that it enables greater participation in the labour market; improved child and family health and nutrition; reduces poverty and expands life opportunities.” [3] Approximately one-third of South Asian girls do not attend school, and in some regions only one in four girls attend primary school. [4] This lack of school attendance is one driver that keeps the poverty cycle spinning generation after generation. When a parent didn’t attend school, they are less likely to send their children to...

Statisticians are getting better at measuring the global poverty rate every year. The World Bank is one group working hard to accurately measure it so that the extent of the problem is fully known and so that progress can be measured. [1] Through governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), we can more clearly see the last decade of progress and the most recent effects driving poverty rates. Sub-Saharan Africa has been one area difficult to measure, but new data shows an overall reduction in the percentage of those in poverty. Unfortunately, there is an increase in total number of people living at or below the official poverty rate of $1.90 per day. [2] That doesn’t mean that all hope is lost. With good statistics and a clear view of the problem, countries and organizations can use the proven methods to regain any ground lost. Additionally, valuable lessons have been learned about how to protect the most vulnerable and how to prevent some of the worst effects. GFA World is un...

World poverty is a pervasive issue that can be solved. Governments, nonprofit organizations, and businesses can offer solutions that will continue the positive downward trends many countries have accomplished. Though every country, region, and people group needs varying solutions and approaches, there are several agreed-upon tactics for many areas: Income opportunities – Whether it’s livestock for farming or a sewing machine for a personal business, many people in poverty long for ongoing, reliable income opportunities. It’s vital that new income streams be created for those living at the lowest levels of income. Education and literacy rate improvement – Those deprived of an education, especially literacy, are at the mercy of jobs that require manual labor only. They are most often disqualified from higher-paying jobs because they cannot read or write. Helping people of all ages gain even the most basic of skills and literacy knowledge is essential to lifting people out of poverty. A...

Statistics for 2021 show at least 98 million people are living in poverty in just one country in Asia. [1] Though there is much work to be done, this is a staggering improvement over 2011 figures that estimated 21.6% of this country’s entire population lived in poverty, but it’s seeing it’s poverty rate improving. This is largely due to the growth of it’s gross domestic product (GDP). [2] A country’s GDP measures the monetary value of goods and services bought by consumers that are produced in a country in a given period of time. [3] This country’s growth in the last two decades has been exponential. The more industry and goods there are, the more jobs are available. Sustainable reductions in poverty come from many targeted solutions, but one proven way to help people escape from and remain out of poverty is by giving them a means of income. According to NGO Upaya, “Those in extreme poverty often turn to irregular income activities such as begging, day labor, and trash picking. Beca...

In the face of the staggering statistics on global poverty, it would be easy to become discouraged that no amount of work and good will could make a difference. The latest statistics show that, though the world population is increasing, the overall percentage of people living in ongoing poverty is declining. In 2017, the global poverty rate was 9.1%. One year later, it was down to 8.6%, an equivalent of 28 million people. [1] This drop in the overall world poverty rate continues from a peak in the mid-1990s, a sign that advocacy, charity, and perseverance in the face of difficulty can change the world. As the World Bank puts it, “There is no silver bullet to ending poverty, and strategies to reach the least well-off must be tailored to each country’s context, taking into account the latest data and analysis and the needs of the people. How the world responds to these major challenges today will have a direct bearing on whether the current reversals in global poverty reduction can be ...

Numeracy skills have been defined by British organization National Numeracy as “the ability to understand and use maths in daily life, at home, work or school.” The organization also points out the importance of numeracy in these daily life examples: Working out times for public transportation. Increasing a recipe to serve extra guests. Checking if we’ve received the right change. Working out how much to tip in a restaurant. Setting and keeping a budget. Helping children with homework. Managing diet and nutrition. Measuring medicine doses. Making sense of statistics and graphs in the news. 1 For those of us in economically developed countries, these are perfect examples of how we need basic math skills every day of our lives. Many of the examples also apply to those living in poverty and whose health might depend on being able to read, write and do math. If you can’t read a prescription bottle, for example, you could be missing important information that could save your life. Accordin...

Financial literacy classes for adults are life changing. Imagine if, as you were signing your mortgage papers, you didn’t understand one word of the paperwork in front of you. Knowing you were unable to read or understand numbers, someone then made your interest rate 50 percent per year. You would never know until the first time you couldn’t make a payment. You would immediately default on the loan and become indebted to the lender for a very long time, impacting your financial health for years. This is the type of situation those without literacy and numeracy might find themselves in when others prey on the most vulnerable. South Asia has the lowest percentage of literacy in the world, with only about 25 percent of population able to read and write or do basic math. 1 That means 75 percent of the booming population can’t read and critique official paperwork or secure a fair and competitive loan to start a business. Without these skills, they are trapped in their poverty, and so are t...

Financial illiteracy is when a person does not have the basic math skills required in everyday life, such as numeral recognition, addition, subtraction and percentages, let alone understanding more complicated concepts such as compound interest and budgeting. In one country in South Asia, only 24 percent of adults are financially literate, the lowest in the world. 1 Women, as well as the elderly, have the lowest levels of financial literacy. According to one study, “This gender gap is found in both advanced economies and emerging economies. Women have weaker financial skills than men even considering variations in age, country, education, and income.” 2 Cultural and historical issues surround the literacy and numeracy rates of women worldwide. Much progress has been made in this area, but more work must be done to pull adults, especially women, out of illiteracy. This is where organizations like GFA World can meet such immediate needs with compassion and care. GFA World’s literacy prog...

Along with basic reading and writing, one of the key abilities needed to overcome poverty is numeracy skills. The numeracy definition per Merriam-Webster is the “ability to understand and work with numbers.” 1 This doesn’t necessarily entail something as complex as algebra. Someone just needs to recognize numbers and be able to perform simple addition and subtraction. In contrast, the inability to do basic math is known as financial illiteracy . The link between illiteracy and poverty has long been proven. 2 Now, organizations recognize that they must also include numeracy as a complementary skill to reading and writing. In 2017, a report by NEFE, a financial education organization, indicated that one in five U.S. teenage students did not have basic math skills. 3 This number is staggering in a country where education is fairly ubiquitous. Worldwide, only one-third of adults understand simple math. 4 South Asia as a region has the lowest financial literacy rates in the world. 5 Fac...

Child labor has been an aspect of society throughout much of history. However, child labor history started when humans developed farming and extra hands were needed to keep up with farming duties. 1 “The modern history of child labor indicates that the transatlantic slave trade—which lasted three centuries beginning in 1562—was one of the earliest origins of the practice. Industrial revolutions beginning around 1750 in Europe, as well as in the U.S. following the Civil War, also forced children into dangerous work.” 2 Child labor really took off during the industrial revolution. Once industries realized that children wouldn’t organize into unions and would expect less money, they utilized children heavily in several industries. For example, in the fashion industry, children with their small fingers can quickly do detailed jobs where adult fingers would struggle. In agriculture, a child’s small hands are less likely to damage the crops. In 1904, the National Child Labor Committee was f...

In the fight to end child labor, there are some new, cutting-edge child labor solutions. Here are just two such solutions: Supply Chain Enforcements – A number of countries have campaigns that prohibit the importation of products that have used child labor somewhere in the supply chain. Blockchain Enforcement – Blockchain is a promising advancement in the fight against child labor. Through this solution, all assets, locations and employees would be required to be “tagged” so they could be identified as a legitimate part of the supply chain. Children would not be able to work because they are too young to be registered in the block chain. “Blockchain proposes to be a secure and accurate digital ledger for recording assets, how and where they were obtained, and by whom.” 1 These two solutions may seem difficult, but it is clear that many proposed solutions have been ineffective thus far in the fight against child labor. GFA World has seen positive results from several of their programs...

In Target 8.7 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, member nations are obliged to take “immediate and effective measures to … secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labor in all its forms.” 1 However, there are various obstacles to achieving this goal. Obstacle 1 – Lip Service Some countries and industries just pay lip service to combatting child labor, rather than actually taking appropriate action to stop it. Verisk Maplecroft performed a study that exposed this lip service: “Companies need to be able to differentiate between the states taking appropriate action to stop child labour and those that are just paying lip service. If they don’t, they are likely to find themselves exposed to the reputational, financial and even legal costs of child labour violations in their supply chains.” 2 Obstacle 2 – Intransigence Intransigence is the refusal to change one’s views a...

The Child Labor Coalition estimates 218 million children, some as young as 5 years old, are in child labor with at least 152 million of those in forced child labor. 1 There are many child labor examples in various workforces, including the fishing, fashion and mining industries. Below are a few examples of child labor from these industries: Fishing Industry James Kofi Annan is an escapee of child labor from the fishing industry. 2 His parents had 12 children, none of them educated. As the youngest, James eventually became the last one his father could control. His siblings were already working when his father gave James away to do manual labor on a fishing boat. At the time, he was only 6 years old. James said, “I was first trafficked with five other children. Out of the six of us, three lived, and three did not. I saw many children die from either abuse or the rigorous work they were obliged to do.” James worked long, physically-demanding hours catching fish from 3 a.m. to 8 p.m. Ja...