Motherhood, Mosquito Nets and Why We Keep Doing Good

It’s ironic that as someone who likes to cook and loves to eat, I really dislike making dinner. As a mom with four kids, it’s not exactly a chore I can skip when I’m not “feeling it.” They need food. And I care that they eat healthy food. So, I make dinner. Every night.

It’s a small thing, but I have learned perseverance in the small things of motherhood. I have learned to keep doing the necessary tasks, day in and day out, regardless of my level of sleep deprivation, irrelevant of my emotional state, often in opposition to my current degree of motivation.

The words of Paul often run through my head, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

Getting tired of the things we were once passionate about is a common human experience. We have all gone through it. But sometimes it has a greater impact than we realize. World Malaria Day, observed on April 25, was inaugurated in 2008. According to a special report released by Gospel for Asia called “Fighting Malaria, a Chilling Disease,” there was a vast global response to eradicate malaria from the world scene. Government organizations, NGOs and individuals banded together in commitment to the prevention, education and treatment of malaria, which affected an estimated 247 million people in 2008.

A community receives much-needed mosquito nets at a Gospel for Asia-supported distribution. You can help by giving funds to provide mosquito nets to those who need them in Asia.

This awesome commitment on the part of so many had a dramatic effect. Between 2010 and 2015, new malaria cases fell by 21 percent around the world.

But in 2016, the numbers rose, dramatically. There were 216 million cases reported globally—an increase of 5 million over the previous year. Something has gone wrong. The cases of malaria are increasing.

In an effort to combat malaria in the tropical and subtropical densely populated areas of South Asia, where malaria is most apt to be a threat, Gospel for Asia-supported missionaries have given out more than 1 million mosquito nets in the past two years.


Click here, to read more about this article.

Click here, to read more blogs on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Generational Poverty: A Cycle Not Worth Repeating

Image
The cycle of generational poverty can seem impossible to break. Children inherit what their parents teach and show them. a joint report from Ascend: The Aspen Institute and Bernard van Leer Foundation affirms this. “What young children learn from the adults who raise and care for them lays the foundation for future social, emotional, language, and cognitive growth,” the report says. 1 Children raised in a generational poverty mindset often lack the tools they need to succeed or achieve a better life than that of their parents. As adults, these individuals often then raise their children in poverty similar to that of their own childhoods, and the cycle perpetuates. It’s a cycle not worth repeating, yet it does time and time again. For the 736 million people worldwide living below the poverty line, earning $1.90 a day or less, the focus is frequently on mere survival. 2 Children are disproportionately affected by extreme poverty, says UNICEF, as “children who grow up impoverished often...
Read more

What Is the Poverty Cycle?

Image
The question, “What is the poverty cycle, or cycle of poverty?” is one that must be answered to address and end poverty across the globe. Put simply, the term refers to the trend where the vicious effects of poverty and deprivation pass from one generation to the next, with no seeming way out. [1] Someone born into poverty has fewer opportunities than their wealthier peers. They must focus on survival above all, leaving little room for anything else. One illness can wipe out a family’s savings, but the unclean water sources and lack of protection available to them invite sickness. Walking to retrieve water can be time-consuming yet must be a daily priority, and many children must work alongside their parents for the family to afford food. Thus, school is often a far-off dream. Having had few opportunities to acquire skills, the kids grow up to repeat the cycle of poverty with their own children. This story was all too familiar for Nalah. His father worked in the tea fields, trying to e...
Read more

What Do I Need to Know about the Global Poverty Rate?

Image
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...
Read more