WILLS POINT, TX — Texas-based Gospel for Asia (GFA World)— one of the largest humanitarian agencies in the world — is rushing aid to flood-stricken families in the throes of Pakistan’s devastating “monsoon on steroids.”
Massive-scale flooding caused by weeks of heavy monsoon rains has engulfed a third of the country, claiming more than 1,100 lives and impacting 33 million people — more than the entire population of Australia.
“Compassion Services teams have undergone emergency training and are now implementing that training in Pakistan by delivering basic medicine, water, food and clothing,” said Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founder K.P. Yohannan, also known as Metropolitan Yohan.
Disaster Appeal Underway
Launching its disaster relief appeal (www.gfa.org/press/flooding22), Gospel for Asia (GFA World) — which supports thousands of national workers across Asia and Africa — said distressed families will “know they are loved and cared for when they receive help from the compassion teams on the ground.”
“Having been born and raised in a flood-prone region of South Asia, I’m intimately familiar with the devastation flooding can cause,” said Yohannan. “I’ve seen the grief and hopelessness that surrounds people who’ve lost loved ones, homes or livelihoods.
“When they realize they’re not alone and will be taken care of, their hope surges.”
Everything Swept Away
The heaviest rainfall in living memory has caused rivers to burst their banks, submerging entire villages and towns, bulldozing homes, and sweeping away crops and livestock. United Nations officials have described it as a “monsoon on steroids” with a month of the season still to go.
Millions of displaced and homeless families are sleeping in the open, desperate for food, and forced to drink unsafe floodwater. Officials warn diarrhea, cholera, dysentery and other waterborne diseases, as well as malaria, will likely spread as the floodwaters recede, creating a health crisis of huge magnitude.
Yohannan called for “urgent prayer for the millions facing grave jeopardy and incalculable loss.”
“The people of Pakistan are crying out for our help,” Yohannan said, “and this is our moment to pray, give, and show them that God has not deserted them.”
PHOTO CUTLINE: GFA WORLD RESPONDS TO PAKISTAN ‘MONSOON ON STEROIDS:’Children salvage a cot from their flood-hit home, in Charsadda, Pakistan. Officials say waterborne diseases will likely spread as the worst monsoon floods in living memory recede. Gospel for Asia (GFA World)is responding with medicines, food, water and clothing. The Texas-based agency has launched a disaster relief appeal (www.gfa.org/press/flooding22). (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)
MEDIA: GFA World founder K.P. Yohannan is available for interviews via phone or video link. Contact Gregg Wooding, InChrist Communications, at [email protected]or 972-567-7660.
About GFA World
Gospel for Asia (GFA World)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 a typical year, this includes thousands of community development projects that benefit downtrodden families and their children, free medical camps conducted in more than 880 villages and remote communities, over 4,800 clean water wells drilled, over 12,000 water filters installed, income-generating Christmas gifts for more than 163,000 needy families, and teaching to provide hope and encouragement in 110 languages in 14 nations through broadcast ministry. GFA World has launched programs in Africa, starting with compassion projects in Rwanda. For all the latest news, visit the Press Room at https://gfanews.org/news.
