Gospel for Asia

Can you imagine, as a parent, watching your child suffer while you stand by unable to help him? You send him off to beg on the streets in order to make money for a crucial surgery that he needs, but somehow that extra money he earns is always needed for other things. The hope for healing grows dim as years pass by. That is the condition Sanjita and her husband Chatur where found in until they were blessed by a local teacher and Gospel for Asia Bridge of Hope Program. Anxiety in the Delivery Room “The size of his head is abnormally large,” the doctor explained to anxious Sanjita and Chatur shortly after their son was born. “The reason might be malnutrition during the mother’s pregnancy. We can bring it to a normal size after doing an operation. But we have to wait until he grows older.” He paused, then his voice changed to one filled with gravity, “It needs lots of money for the operation.” The birth of Abhaya caused conflicting emotions to surface in Sanjita and Chatur’s hearts. While...

A couple of years ago, I was at a missions conference where we came together to discuss what was happening in the missions world around the globe. One of my friends there asked me, “How are things going at Gospel for Asia? What’s going on these days?” We were going through some challenging situations on the field at the time, and I remember telling him, “It’s a good time to be alive. It’s a good opportunity to walk by faith.” Which was completely true! We don’t always have great opportunities in front of us where we get to walk by faith, trusting God day by day, but trials and difficulties allow us those opportunities. In the first chapter of James we are told, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will b...

Do you ever stop to consider how many blankets you have in your home? What kind of stockpile do you have stored up in case the heating goes out for two weeks during a severe winter storm? It’s no stretch to guess you have at least one blanket for each person in your family. If you’re like most of us, you probably have light summer blankets in addition to heavier, winter quilts. There might even be some cozy throws on your sofa and the recliner, and the afghan your grandmother made for you. Don’t forget to count the extra blankets in the guestroom, the ones in the cars, and the picnic blanket in the garage. And what about the sleeping bags you keep with your camping gear? With all the warm clothes and blankets you can find in your home, you and your family could probably survive a long winter emergency in an unheated home. But how would you fare if your home was only a makeshift hut, your family had hardly any winter clothing or blankets, and you could barely feed them with your meager ...

What if you didn’t have the freedom to dream? Imagine rummaging through garbage all day long trying to find something to sell. How could your dreams stay alive mingled among the flies, mosquitoes and filth, while shabby clothes and dirty faces of others just like you surround your gloomy existence? You walk in their shadow. The shadow of your parents and of their parents before you. The cycle of poverty unbroken and the freedom to dream forsaken simply because of what has always been. This was the life of a little girl named Asha. Sadly, her life is just one among many other “untouchable” children like her. With little to no expectation for their future, children roam the streets, beg and wander aimlessly searching for something to fill their empty stomachs. When night falls they return to their home—a hut made from cardboard and pieces of tarp—to a discouraged, malnourished family. But so many of us hold the keys to the freedom these precious ones can own for themselves, and that is...

According to National Geographic, “More than 70 percent of the earth’s surface is covered in water.” 1 Yet there is a global water crisis in which 1.1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water. 2 How can this be? Why is clean water important? Consider the following statistics: National Geographic reports, “About 159 million around the world people collect their drinking water directly from surface water” (i.e., lakes, ponds, rivers), which is often unsafe to drink. 3 Half of them live in sub-Saharan Africa. 4 Many water sources in developing regions contain fecal matter, arsenic or other pollutants. 5 Worldwide, nearly 1 billion people practice open defecation, which is a major contributor to water contamination in these areas. 6 The World Health Organization estimates, “At least 2 billion people use a drinking water source contaminated with faeces.” 7 68 to 84 percent of water sources in South Asia are contaminated. 8 Half of rural households in Africa lack access t...

If you’re considering a water well donation, Africa is in critical need of clean water. Water is essential to life, yet 1 in 3 Africans suffers from water scarcity. 1 Of the millions of people worldwide who are dependent on unprotected, unsafe water sources, nearly half live in sub-Saharan Africa. 2 Without access to reliable, clean water, the people in this region face a myriad of challenges. One of the main issues is that of health. When water is contaminated, it leads to disease, including diarrhea, typhoid, cholera and dysentery. According to Global Citizen, “115 people in Africa die every hour from disease related to poor sanitation, poor hygiene, and contaminated water.” 3 That’s more than a million people per year on a single continent. Worldwide, approximately 1.8 billion people die every year from diarrheal diseases, which are often caused by unclean water. 4 Children are particularly vulnerable to waterborne diseases. Their small, growing bodies have higher metabolisms a...

Perhaps you’ve become aware of the global water crisis, in which 40 percent of the world’s population suffers from water scarcity and a billion people lack access to clean water. 1 With some idea of the issue on a global scale, you may be wondering how a water well donation might impact lives on a personal scale. For girls and women, a nearby well could save them an hour a day. In areas like Asia and Africa, many people are forced to walk 30 minutes or more to the nearest water source, and it’s typically females who carry this burden. In one day, according to water.org, these women collectively spend some 200 million hours collecting water. 2 That’s time women could better spend earning income or caring for their families and time girls could better spend on their education. Sadly, the water they collect is often contaminated. Water in developing regions frequently contains fecal matter, arsenic or other pollutants. 3 This pollution brings a host of waterborne diseases, including ...

While most people in developed countries have ample access to clean water, 1.1 billion people worldwide lack such access. 1 This problem is particularly acute in developing countries, where many people rely on surface water that’s contaminated and leads to waterborne diseases. Often living below the poverty line, these people struggle to feed their families and typically can’t afford to purchase better options even if they’re available. Someone must donate clean water if these precious people are ever to live healthy lives, free of waterborne disease. The lack of clean water impacts life in various ways. Perhaps the most crucial aspect is the matter of health. Ohio University estimates, “Roughly, 80 percent of illnesses in developing countries are attributed to unclean water and poor sanitation.” 2 Children are particularly susceptible, and it’s estimated that these factors lead to 1.6 million children’s deaths every year. 3 Conversely, clean water, proper sanitation and hygiene cou...

Clean water is essential for life! Dirty and contaminated water can be deadly. Waterborne illnesses like diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid fever, cholera, and Hepatitis A often result when contaminated water is consumed. This contamination is caused by industrial waste, animal waste, pollution, open defecation, and other sources. Why is clean water important? According to the United Nations, 1.9 billion people (27 percent of the world’s population) live in “potentially severely water-scarce” areas. 1 This is unacceptable and organizations around the world have jumped into action to provide safe, clean water for those people. GFA World has been serving in Asia for over 40 years, bringing clean water, humanitarian aid, educational opportunities, community development, and God’s love to the people of Asia. We are also planning to started providing these services in Rwanda as well, while looking forward to reaching many more African countries in the coming years. GFA World provides clean water...

For over 40 years, GFA World has served in Asia, reaching over a dozen Asian nations. We’ve provided clean water, education for children, child sponsorship, and community development projects. We’ve also had a wonderful ministry to widows, leprosy patients, and slum dwellers. Now, we’re moving into Africa! This continent is home to over 1/5 of the world’s population and is known as the poorest continent in the world. Over 1.2 billion people reside in Africa and over half of that population is under 15 years old. The needs are great, and we are looking forward to helping share the love of Jesus with the people of Africa, starting in Rwanda. Water Well Donation Africa As we serve in Africa, we “aim to empower the poor to break the cycle of poverty and show God’s love.” Starting in Kigali, Rwanda, we have begun meeting the tangible needs of the people, and the ministry is planning on training national workers, launching clean water projects and medical initiatives, providing educational o...

One of the most life-changing gifts you can make is a water well donation. The problem of water scarcity and its solution have been well researched by GFA World. The Problem It is estimated that 785 million people lack a basic drinking water source and at least 2 billion people use a water source that is contaminated with feces. 1 A basic drinking water source is an improved water source that is located within a round trip of 30 minutes. When people don’t have access to an improved water source, they often choose to drink contaminated water and risk waterborne illnesses. Access to clean water sources is most needed in developing countries. The Solution Generous people like you donate water wells to help where they are needed most. Over the past two decades, 30,000 wells have been drilled through GFA World and it’s partnerships worldwide. The wells are provided to communities where people have no access to clean water or where people are walking long distances to find water. Click here...

When you donate clean water, you make a life-changing difference in a community. Many people around the world can’t reach for a clean, refreshing drink of water on a hot summer day. Collecting water may take hours and, oftentimes, the water that took so long to find is contaminated with feces or another form of pollution. This contaminated water often carries waterborne diseases like diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, Hepatitis A, and amoebiasis. Whenever you donate clean drinking water, or give a water well donation to Africa or Asia, you can make a life-saving contribution. When you donate clean water through GFA World, you: Allow children to have time for school The responsibility of collecting water often falls on the children, especially girls. When these girls have to walk for hours to find water, they are unable to go to school. For many, water is more important to the family than their education. Children who attend school have a greater chance of breaking the cycle of poverty, so w...

Sub-Saharan Africa has a severe water crisis. So, it’s fair to ask, “Why does Africa not have access to clean water?” The Global Citizen reports that there are four major factors at play: Access to water supply and sanitation Sanitation gap Emergencies and disasters Water resources [1] They report that open defecation is the prime result of not having access to a water supply and sanitation. This relates to the sanitation gap, where the infrastructure needed has not caught up to the population growth. A cycle of floods and drought in Africa causes both water scarcity and contamination in an area where sources of water are already fewer than in some places. [2] All of these issues account for Africa’s ongoing water crisis. Solutions are needed that can address these four critical areas in sustainable ways that benefit the local community. GFA World has decades of experience examining and solving for water issues. They serve some of the poorest regions in the world, including Africa. GFA...

Clean water and sanitation are related because at least two billion people worldwide use water contaminated by feces. [1] In the poorest regions of the world, there is no proper running water infrastructure separated from sanitation systems. The only water source available to them might be a pond or river, and if there is not a sanitation system in place to collect and properly dispose of feces, then it’s often inevitable that the two will mix. According to the Brookings Institution, “Most of the world’s poorest live in rural areas. Roughly two out of three people living in extreme poverty live in rural settings. In total, some 400 million rural men and women live in extreme poverty, more than the populations of the United States and Canada combined. At the same time, roughly half that amount (approximately 200 million) live in cities.” [2] In rural settings, you also have livestock and other animals that are not contained or monitored for their defecation. This adds to the problem of...

To understand how many people don’t have access to clean water, you first have to understand the water available to the entire globe. Though the earth is covered in water, you cannot drink ocean water without desalinating it, which means removing the salt. There is not yet an efficient way to do this. Most of the remaining fresh water is trapped in the ice caps, and the rest is not evenly distributed or accessible worldwide. [1] The World Health Organization reports the following staggering facts about the global water crisis: Over 2 billion people live in water-stressed countries, which is expected to get worse. At least 2 billion people use a drinking water source contaminated with feces. Chemical risks in drinking water include arsenic, fluoride or nitrate, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and microplastics. Safe and sufficient water facilitates the practice of hygiene, which prevents not only digestive diseases, as well as acute respiratory i...

We’ve all done it. We turn on the tap and let the cool, clean water flow for a few seconds, waiting for the temperature to change or to grab the container we are using. For just those few moments, we often waste one of our planet’s most precious resources: clean water. Despite being a fundamental part of our daily lives, access to clean water is a luxury that many people do not have. In school, we are taught about the water cycle, a planetary phenomenon that is often shown as a simple illustration of the rain, runoff, groundwater, evaporation, oceans and clouds, bringing us back to rain. [1] Although clean water is a basic necessity for all, it is not equally accessible worldwide. In some regions, the water cycle is further disrupted by improper sanitation systems that contaminate ground water, flooding that mixes clean and dirty water, and prolonged periods of drought. It doesn’t show how many people don’t have access to clean water . Only 2.5 percent of the world’s water is fresh and...

Well drilling provides clean and accessible water for an entire community. But the question is: how much to drill a well? Costs vary, depending on size, depth, casing and region. Most homeowners in the United States spend from $3,750 to $15,300 for a well with an average depth of 150 feet. For a 400-foot deep well, costs range from $14,200 to $33,600, depending on diameter (4” to 8”, respectively). [1] Costs like those value global water well drilling services at $2.83 million in 2019. By 2027, drilling services are expected to rise to $3.9 million. [2] In Thailand, the government estimates that it costs about 1 million baht, or $29,883 US dollars, for groundwater wells that include storage tanks and distribution systems. However, this amount only covers wells that range from 100 to 120 meters deep; many wells need to be dug much deeper. [3] At GFA World, we dig Jesus Wells up to 200 meters to make sure water is accessible year-round, even during droughts. Some organizations require $1...

When organizations like GFA World provide access to clean water, it literally saves lives. Nearly 10% of diseases worldwide could be prevented with improved water supplies, sanitation and hygiene. [1] In real numbers, that would save millions of lives annually, including: 1.4 million preventable child deaths from diarrhea 860,000 preventable child deaths from malnutrition, 31,000 deaths from dengue, Japanese encephalitis and onchocerciasis. 280,000 deaths from drowning—72% of drownings could be avoided by improving the safety of water bodies through information, education and regulations. [2] In addition, every year, organizations that provide access to clean water and water management systems could prevent needless suffering, including: 2 billion intestinal nematode infections. 25 million people from suffering from serious incapacitation due to lymphatic filariasis, a parasitic disease that damages the lymph system and weakens the immune system. 5 million visual impairments from trach...

The demand for clean, safe water calls for well drilling. Many companies are involved in water well drilling to make a profit, but nonprofits like GFA World drill deep, efficient wells and provide free water for those most in need. Water well drilling saves millions of lives. When organizations provide access to clean water , it prevents people from suffering from intestinal parasites or waterborne diseases like cholera, dysentery and other diarrhea-causing illnesses, which can lead to malnutrition, blindness and even death. Through deep well drilling, GFA offers Jesus Wells free of charge to the poorest communities. Before GFA intervened and built a Jesus Well, malaria, typhoid, and other waterborne diseases were a fact of life for Mai and the other children in her community. Open wells, ponds and rivers were the only source of water their families had. But the water was contaminated with cow dung, rotting leaves and trash, and during summer droughts, the water supplies dried up. Past...

The demand for clean, safe water calls for well drilling. Many companies are involved in water well drilling to make a profit, but nonprofits like GFA World drill deep, efficient wells and provide free water for those most in need. About 2 billion, or 1 out of 10 people, need access to safely managed drinking water; 771 million of them don’t have basic drinking water services. [1] At least one month a year, about 4 billion people face severe water scarcity. [2] Meanwhile, global water use has been increasing at an average of 1% annually since the 1980s. It’s expected to continue to rise, ultimately leading to an increase of 20-30% above the current use. [3] Lack of access to clean water perpetuates the cycle of poverty. African women living in poverty regularly walk 4 miles a day to retrieve this essential resource, transporting 40 pounds of water. [4] This steals time and energy from girls and women who could otherwise be attending school or working. When piped water isn’t availabl...

It’s a noble desire to provide access to clean water to people in need. Approximately 1.1 billion people worldwide, predominantly in developing regions such as Asia and Africa, lack access to safe drinking water. 1 The contaminated water many of these individuals drink often leads to waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery, polio and diarrhea. According to the World Water Council, such diseases “are the most common cause of illness and death among the poor of developing countries.” 2 Many of these illnesses are preventable. Access to clean water also eases the burden of collection. In places like South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, many people must walk at least 30 minutes to collect water for their daily needs. 3 This chore typically falls to women and girls and drains their time and energy from more fruitful endeavors, such as generating income or gaining an education. There are numerous non-profit organizations through which you can help these men, women and child...