Extreme poverty soars 8.5% since pandemic began, reversing progress made in recent years

NEWS PROVIDED BY
GFA World
Dec. 1, 2021

WILLS POINT, Texas, Dec. 1, 2021 /Standard Newswire/ -- A "moo-ving" Christmas campaign aims to lift pandemic-affected families out of extreme poverty -- with gifts of cows, goats, chickens and other farm animals.

Texas-based humanitarian agency GFA World (www.gfa.org) says a single farm animal can transform the fortunes of a family in dire poverty, providing food and sustainable income.

In a new report, the global organization cites that an estimated 711 million people worldwide -- more than double the entire population of the U.S. -- now survive on $1.90 per day or less. That's an alarming 8.5% increase since the pandemic began.

"The hardest hit are always the poorest of the poor," said GFA World founder K.P. Yohannan (also known as Metropolitan Yohan).

The organization's latest special report, A Surprising Antidote to World Poverty: Farm Animals (http://www.gfa.org/press/animals), shows how people in America can change the lives of the world's poorest families this Christmas -- by donating a cow, goat, lamb, pig, or chickens.

Last Christmas, GFA World supporters provided income-generating gifts for more than 260,000 needy families. To give a farm animal and other life-changing gifts this Christmas, people can go to GFA World's online Christmas gift catalog at www.gfa.org/gift.

Expression of God's Love
"Helping defeat poverty by giving farm animals to a family that has nothing is a tangible expression of God's love," said Yohannan. "It's not just a quick fix -- long term it can help families out of poverty for good."

Extreme poverty, Yohannan said, leads to "unmitigated desperation" -- families sifting through stinking garbage piles for scraps of food, children trapped in forced labor, and girls selling their bodies just to survive.

Farm animals provide not only a source of food, but also a reliable income as they reproduce. This, in turn, means families can afford to eat better, buy medicines, and even enroll their children in school.

"The result is that an entire community can be transformed through these simple Christmas gifts that show people the love of God in action," Yohannan said. "These gifts can spark a permanent change in even the most desperate places on earth."

GFA World (www.gfa.org) is a leading faith-based global mission agency, helping national workers bring vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across the world, especially in Asia and Africa, and sharing the love of God. In GFA World's latest yearly report, this included thousands of community development projects that benefit downtrodden families and their children, free medical camps conducted in more than 1,200 villages and remote communities, over 4,800 clean water wells drilled, over 12,000 water filters installed, income-generating Christmas gifts for more than 260,000 needy families, and teaching providing hope and encouragement available in 110 languages in 14 nations through radio ministry. GFA World has launched programs in Africa, starting with compassion projects in Rwanda. For all the latest news, visit our Press Room at https://gfanews.org/news.

SOURCE GFA World

CONTACT: Gregg Wooding, 972-567-7660, gwooding@inchristicommunications.com