With starvation fueled by the COVID-19 crisis threatening thousands across South Asia, a leading mission agency has launched a new global movement — Don’t Mask Your Eyes — to draw attention to the suffering of migrant families.
“The face mask has become a symbol of our deeply troubled times,” said K.P. Yohannan, founder of Texas-based Gospel for Asia (GFA World, www.gfa.org). “But we cannot mask our eyes from the injustice and suffering that’s inflicting thousands of families across Asia right now.”
GFA World’s new campaign aims to make visible the “hidden” suffering of an estimated 45 million transient laborers and their families — many made jobless by the health crisis and starving hundreds of miles from home.
Working with government officials, local church networks supported by GFA World are feeding thousands in the Punjab region of northwest India, where the pandemic has closed factories and forced many of South Asia’s poorest out of work.
Hungry crowds swarm relief teams distributing food, making social distancing impossible. At some locations, hundreds line up for hours in the hot sun waiting for a plate of rice.
“I believe the crises we’ve experienced in America over the past weeks — and continue to endure — are opening the eyes and hearts of many to injustice and suffering around the world,” said 70-year-old Yohannan, launching the Don’t Mask Your Eyes campaign. “We cannot help thousands on our own, but we can each help at least one.”
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SOURCE: Assist News
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