Disgraced. Disregarded. And sometimes considered cursed by the gods—this is the life of South Asia’s disabled people.
According to statistics from The World Bank, India alone has between 40 to 80 million people living with disabilities, and at least one in 12 households has a member with a disability.
When the International Day of Persons with Disabilities rolled around on December 3, 2011, a Gospel for Asia-supported Women’s Fellowship team saw it as a perfect opportunity to share God’s love with some of South Asia’s most forgotten and marginalized people.
Gifts Show God’s Love to the Disabled
With the guidance and support of their state leader, the women organized an event to recognize six disabled men and women in their community. Five received blankets, and one of the men received a pair of crutches to replace his pair that had worn out.
A GFA field correspondent said the men and women were extremely delighted and thankful for the gifts they received.
“We never thought someone would come and care for us,” one of the recipients said.
Recipients Grateful to Women’s Fellowship
With the social stigma cast aside, these men and women experienced a tangible expression of God’s unconditional love through the sisters from GFA’s Women Fellowship.
Women’s Fellowship teams are often considered the backbone of the church and take different initiatives to strengthen the ministry in their area. Every GFA-supported church has a Women’s Fellowship, where the women of the church can grow in the Lord and live out their faith by taking part in special outreach activities that bring the hope and love of Christ to those in desperate circumstances—just like they did for these men and women.
