Life for the women of India is no picnic, nor is it a day on the beach! This is because the women in India are considered to be, and are treated as, valueless. From the time of their birth until the time of their death, these women are among the most destitute and oppressed people in the world.

Recently, there have been reports of multiple hangings, and gang rapes, of these women (including young girls). Young girls are often forced into lifestyles of prostitution to earn a living for their impoverished families. Others work from sunrise to sundown, harvesting grain, by hand, because the farmers cannot afford combines.

For many women, their only hope for survival is to marry and to be cared for by their husbands. These women are often products of arranged marriages within their caste system. To be married, the women must have a dowry that is sufficient according to their husband's financial needs. If the dowry is not sufficient, these women will not be married.

If a woman does marry, the expectation is that she will give birth to a male child. Girl babies are frowned upon; so much so that, girl babies may be aborted, or drowned, because they have limited means of helping the family when they become old enough to make a living.

Widows, in particular, are despised within their communities. They are frequently ostracized to care for any children they may have, on their own. Many resort to collecting food from the trash, begging for food, or selling their bodies as prostitutes.

Gospel for Asia is helping the women of Asia to regain their dignity and self worth by providing food, water and other necessities of life to hundreds of India's girls and women. GFA also provides livestock and sewing machines to enable women to support themselves financially. Finally, GFA provides free medical check ups to these women.

Please prayerfully consider donating whatever The Lord lays on your heart at www.myGFA.org/raw or www.GFA.org.