Bridge Builders Are Bringing the World Together

Bridge builders come in many forms, but they all aim to bring the world together. They may be peacemakers who connect opposing parties or individuals who try to reconcile differences.[1] They look beyond language, religion, culture and other aspects that may divide. They have an intense desire to help other people.

At GFA World, our Bridge Builders program tackles the difficult issue of poverty in Africa and Asia—focusing on some of the poorest communities in the world. Bridge Builders bring an outside force into the cycle of poverty—a cycle that often plagues families for generations. It gives a new significance to the bridge builders meaning. You see, the cycle of poverty is all-consuming for many around the world. If it’s all you’ve ever known, it’s terribly difficult to break out of it. That’s what makes the outside force so important.

What does our Bridge Builders community partnership provide? Not every community may need all these things, but here are some of the resources we provide, based on the needs of each location:

Resources for Children:

Education is a crucial element in curtailing poverty. When a child becomes educated, he or she is now qualified for more jobs and careers. In fact, literacy and education are considered the “great miracle cure” for poverty![2] Through our child sponsorship program, children receive tutoring and educational help. They also have access to items that make going to school easier, such as school supplies.
Food, especially nutritious food, is a staple that we can provide to help alleviate poverty.

Resources for Adults and Families:

Income-generating training can often lift a family across the poverty line. This training provides opportunities to bring in additional income for the family. For example, when a woman receives literacy training or instruction as a tailor, she is automatically qualified for better job opportunities and a higher income.
Income-generating gifts, like livestock or a pull-cart, can make a life-changing difference for a family. For example, when a family receives a pair of chickens, they suddenly have eggs or chicks to sell at the market and nutritious food to eat.

Resources for Communities:

Easily accessible clean water is something we often take for granted, but when a village doesn’t have access to water, the women or children have to walk for hours to retrieve it. When a Bridge Builder contributes to provide a Jesus Well to a community in need, they help provide lifesaving sustenance that will bless for the community for years.
Sanitation facilities, like sinks and toilets, are another way to help an entire community. GFA donors provide sanitation facilities that help eliminate open defecation, provide for better hygiene and keep the water systems safer.
Basic medical services are provided in areas where there is no health care.
Women’s empowerment helps women gain skills through community classes. This restores the dignity that has often been lost through poverty or gender bias.
Churches and GFA-supported pastors and missionaries help provide eternal hope to entire communities.

Salila[3] is a great example of how we provided help that was tailored to a community in need. With no water source nearby, Salila would regularly make the 30-minute trip to the closest watering hole and then struggle back carrying the heavy buckets of water. In fact, her entire day revolved around water—collecting it, cooking with it, cleaning with it, rationing it. Then she started the cycle over again by walking the distance for more water. “I must get up early in the morning and go to this place to fetch water,” she says. “I must prepare food, get children ready for school, take care of everything, clean the house. And then when everything is over, then I go to work.”

When GFA’s Bridge Builders gave financially so that a well could be drilled in her village, Salila’s life changed! Clean water was now accessible just a quick walk from their home, and she no longer had to worry about waterborne illnesses. With the extra time saved, she was no longer consistently late for work and could secure more income for her family. When that well was drilled, Salila received a precious gift! It changed her life and the lives of those in her community.

“I suffered a lot,” she recalls. “We had a great struggle when we didn’t have the Jesus Well in our village.” This precious gift was provided by generous people around the world who thought beyond their own needs to the greater needs of others. Their generosity has helped make a significant difference for Salila and those in her village.

A community gift like a water well does more than give a community clean water to drink; it is a bridge to greater opportunities and hope for a better future. Since they don’t have to collect water, women can now earn income and children can attend school. It’s a win-win situation!

God is working across Africa and Asia, and He is using our Bridge Builders network to touch hearts and change lives. A monthly gift toward Bridge Builders of just $19 can be used in a myriad of ways. That’s less than $1 a day! You can be assured that it will help bring physical and spiritual relief to a community in need.

Will you join us and support this vital work today?

Study more Bible verses about giving to others!

[1] Collins Dictionary. Accessed March 5, 2025. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/bridge-builder.
[2] Burton Mains, Karen. “Literacy: One of the great miracle cures.” September 2019. https://www.gfa.org/special-report/literacy-miracle-cure-illiteracy.
[3] “Build Hope. Transform Lives.” GFA World. Accessed March 5, 2025. https://www.gfa.org/build/l t2.