Millions of “unwanted” children in Asia crave “the gift of love and hope” this Christmas, missions agency Gospel for Asia (GFA, www.gfa.org) said today — as the Texas-based organization launched a Christmas season campaign to help what it calls “the forgotten ones.”
With tens of millions of children suffering horrible neglect and living on the streets of South Asia, the campaign — Bringing Hope to the Forgotten Ones — helps thousands of Asia’s poorest children from a life of misery.
“The reality is that Asia’s unwanted and forgotten children want love and hope far more than anything else this Christmas,” said GFA founder Dr. K.P. Yohannan, “and we can give them the wonderful, heartwarming gift of hope.”
Asia’s “unwanted” children include those rejected by their parents, frequently abused, and left to fend for themselves. Immersed in crippling poverty, these children often scavenge in piles of rat-infested garbage, or work long hours in sweatshops and dangerous conditions for a few cents a day.
“While most children across the west excitedly unwrap their gifts this Christmas, millions of children in Asia will spend Christmas Day like every other day — rummaging through the trash for scraps of food or recyclable metals,” said Yohannan, whose 40-year-old mission helps the extreme poor in Asian nations.
“We may not be able to help every unwanted or exploited child, but we can help one, and every single child helped is a child precious in the eyes of God,” Yohannan said. “Can you imagine how a boy or girl feels when they realize they’re not ‘human garbage,’ but that someone actually cares enough to help them?”
Launched after the catastrophic Asia tsunami in 2004, GFA’s Bridge of Hope child sponsorship program helps to provide free schooling, counseling, meals, clothing and medical care for more than 70,000 vulnerable children in Asia. Many never dreamed they’d ever attend school.
“So many children living in poverty in Asia are prime candidates for exploitation, forced labor in brick kilns and factories, or sexual slavery,” Yohannan said. “Their circumstances have taught them not to expect anything good in life, only drudgery and rejection. Through Bridge of Hope, we have the ability to rescue them and give them a hope and a future.”
With a dream of helping to rescue at least 500,000 children, Bridge of Hope has thousands of unsponsored children on its waiting list — and GFA hopes many of them will be sponsored during the Christmas season campaign.
The opportunity to go to school is life changing, giving unwanted children from the slums and villages the chance to dream big.
In South Asia, Kasni’s mother works long hours as a poorly paid laborer — every day leaving seven-year-old Kasni in charge of her younger siblings. Going to school seemed impossible for Kasni, but GFA-supported workers found a way for her to attend the local Bridge of Hope center where she studies and plays with her friends.
“We’ve seen thousands of children like Kasni experience a life of hope and promise — and we rejoice,” Yohannan said. “As we celebrate the birth of Christ our Savior this Christmas, let’s remember those unwanted and forgotten children who are waiting to experience God’s love through us.”
For more about Bridge of Hope, go to http://www.gfa.org/press/sponsor-child.
Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2019, Gospel for Asia (GFA, www.gfa.org) is a leading faith-based mission agency, bringing vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across Asia, especially to those who have yet to hear the “good news” of Jesus Christ.
(SOURCE: Gospel for Asia via Christian Newswire)