Metro Voice News Celebrating Faith, Family & Community
GFA World is expanding its ministry into Africa, launching a new missions base in Liberia while building upon existing projects in Rwanda. The organization’s strategic expansion comes at a crucial time when, according to Reuters, Africa’s working-age population is projected to grow by about 1.5 billion by 2100, creating unprecedented needs and opportunities.
“Africa is bursting with possibilities,” said Bishop Daniel Timotheos Yohannan, the ministry’s new president. “Roughly 40 percent of the population of Liberia, for example, is under the age of 15.”
Across Africa, at least 32 million children of primary age, mostly girls, do not attend school, because their families cannot afford the fees. GFA World’s child sponsorship program seeks to change that and actively partners with communities. The organization also is launching projects and missionary training in Liberia.
Training and equipping nationals or locals to do missionary work is nothing new to GFA World. In the 1980s, its founder, K.P. Yohannan, launched what was described as a “revolution in world missions,” sending thousands of trained national missionaries on foot and bicycles to share the love of God” in communities across Asia, bringing hope and healing to places where there was no previous exposure to the gospel.
“National missionaries know the local customs, languages and beliefs, and don’t face travel or visa restrictions that cross-cultural workers have,” Yohannan said, adding that local missionaries “can easily connect with their own people.”
Meanwhile, the organization’s ministry base in Kigali, Rwanda, continues to expand. With one of the highest-density populations in Africa, there is only one doctor for every 8,300 people. As The Washington Times reports, this expansion is part of a larger trend of growing Christian humanitarian initiatives across Africa and Asia.
The Rwanda-based hospital complex will train medical professionals from across Africa, as well as help set up a network of permanent health clinics. This initiative comes at a critical time when, according to AP News, many regions are facing significant healthcare challenges and reduced international aid support. Plans are under way for new projects in Liberia, mirroring the work in Rwanda — including educational opportunities for children, clean water projects known as “Jesus wells” and medical camps where the most at-risk families can get free health care.
For more information about GFA World’s expanding global initiatives, visit their official website.
–Dwight Widaman
