Sponsor a Family for Christmas – Livestock Gives the Gift of Hope
For many of us, Christmastime is a celebration with family and friends. All around the world, Christmas becomes a showcase for cultures to shine. Traditions are passed from one generation to the next as families uphold familiar rituals. One tradition that many families practice is to sponsor a family for Christmas.
For many people in Africa and Asia, poverty does not take a break at Christmas. The meals will be the same―few and scanty―and gifts are out of the question. Africa and Asia are home to many who live in destitution. When your family reaches across the world to sponsor another family for Christmas, your gift may be a life-changing catalyst that changes their circumstances long-term.
Your gift may look significantly different from a gift you would give your child or grandchild. Life-changing gifts to families in Africa or Asia can come in the form of livestock. GFA World brings help, hope and these income-generating gifts to those who need them most.
Here are some ideas for how to sponsor a family for Christmas:
How to donate a cow or water buffalo: Our pastors and missionaries working in Africa and Asia will select a family in need to receive your cow or water buffalo. The animal will be delivered to the family, and they can begin to reap the benefits of its milk and also have four-legged-power to pull their plow or other farm equipment. They’ll even benefit from the animal’s waste, which provides fertilizer for their crops.
How to donate a goat: When you select to gift a goat or two, you provide milk for a family in need to drink or to sell at the market. The family will also be able to breed the goat and begin to increase the size of their herd or sell off the offspring for extra income.
How to donate a chicken: Chickens are an inexpensive way to make a huge difference to a family. Eggs provide nutrition, and the excess can be sold to neighbors or at the market. When eggs are fertilized, they can be hatched, allowing the family to sell the chicks or continue increasing their brood.
K.P. Yohannan, the founder of GFA World, said, “We often spend so much on Christmas gifts that won’t matter a year from now … We have an opportunity to reach out to those who really need help and demonstrate the true reason we celebrate Christmas. Jesus loved us so much that He gave His very life for us. This year, we have the opportunity to follow in His footsteps by sharing His love with those in need. These precious people will never forget that someone took time to care for them, and it is all done in the name of Jesus. It’s a gift that will never wear out.”[1]
Kalapi and Mudit were recipients of a cow that a family donated at Christmastime. This couple had struggled to make ends meet. They worked hard, but their children were frequently ill. They had little besides cornbread to feed the children, so the kids lacked the nutrients they needed to grow. A GFA World pastor named Boro lived in their community and saw the family’s plight. He offered them the transformative gift of a cow and a calf!
“I thank God who has … blessed us with a cow that provides milk,” Kalapi said. “Now my children are able to eat chapatti [flatbread] with milk. I praise God … for helping such families as mine.”[2]
That gift of a cow and calf offered the family the stability and nutrition they desperately needed. You can be the catalyst for such a life-change for another destitute family!
Our ministry has been helping families in extreme need for decades. Our missionaries live in the communities they serve and are familiar with the needs of the people around them. As they share hope in Christ, they also become His hands and feet, helping people in practical ways. One way includes providing income generating animals to families in need.
Through incoming-generating gifts like livestock, families receive hope for their future. These tangible gifts lift spirits as they provide a clear path out of the cycle of poverty. Gifts like these allow people to dream again! “If you had the opportunity to visit the mission field,” shared founder of GFA K.P. Yohannan, “there would be thousands of people you could meet whose lives have been touched by gifts such as chickens, goats and rickshaws. These unlikely gifts brought them a means of income they most likely never could have gained otherwise. Recipients of these gifts are finding hope, both in this world and in the love of Christ.”[3]
We invite you to sponsor a family for Christmas and gift livestock to those in Africa or Asia. Let’s join together this Christmas to make a huge impact. View our Christmas Gift Catalog and select an item of your choice.
Learn more about charitable Christmas gifts[1] “Forgotten Christmas Campaign Promotes Giving with Eternal Value.” GFA World. October 12, 2016. https://www.gfa.org/pr/forgotten-christmas-campaign-promotes-giving-eternal-value.
[2] “300 Million Forgotten People.” GFA World. Accessed July 22, 2023. https://www.gfa.org/giving/christmas/dalits.
[3] “Water Buffalo Provides Security for Family.” Gospel for Asia, January 7, 2019. https://www.gfa.org/news/articles/water-buffalo-provides-security-for-family-wfr18-15/.