Why We Focus on Asia and the Middle East

Why We Focus on Asia and the Middle East

Why We Focus on Asia and the Middle East

Child poverty is a global crisis. It is not bound by geography or culture, and it affects children in every part of the world. Yet, at Love Mary, we feel a deep calling to focus much of our mission on Asia and the Middle East. These regions are home to immense suffering but also to extraordinary opportunity. They are places where conflict, poverty, and displacement collide — but also where faith, resilience, and the Gospel can shine the brightest.

The Bible reminds us in Isaiah 58:10, “If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” When we look at Asia and the Middle East, we see the hungry and oppressed on a massive scale. But we also see the opportunity for the light of Christ to rise.

Asia: The Weight of Numbers

Asia is the largest continent on earth, home to more than half the world’s population. Within its borders live billions of children, many of whom face staggering poverty. While Asia has seen economic growth in recent decades, that growth has not been equally shared. Vast numbers of children remain trapped in cycles of hunger, malnutrition, and limited access to education.

In South Asia alone, millions of children work as laborers instead of attending school. Poverty forces them into factories, construction sites, or domestic work, robbing them of childhood. In rural areas, children walk miles to fetch water or work in fields, their dreams of education slipping further away.

The Scriptures remind us that God sees every child, even those overlooked by society. In Matthew 19:14, Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Sponsorship in Asia is not just about feeding and educating children. It is about removing the hindrances of poverty so that they may come freely into the arms of Christ.

Education as the Gateway in Asia

One of the greatest needs in Asia is education. More than 100 million children across the continent are not enrolled in school, and many of those who are enrolled face overcrowded classrooms, undertrained teachers, or lack of resources. Without education, children are vulnerable to exploitation and limited to the same poverty that trapped their parents.

Proverbs 22:6 teaches us, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Education gives children the foundation to walk in a new way, a way of hope and dignity. Sponsorship in Asia often focuses heavily on school fees, uniforms, and supplies, because a single child completing school can lift entire families.

There are countless testimonies of sponsored children in Asia who, once given access to education, have gone on to become teachers, doctors, or pastors. Their success ripples outward, impacting entire communities. What begins as one sponsor helping one child grows into generational transformation.

The Challenge of Exploitation

Asia is also home to some of the highest rates of child exploitation in the world. Millions of children are trafficked each year for labor or other abuses. Many are forced into dangerous jobs, while others are sold into slavery because their families are desperate for money.

The prophet Amos condemned such injustice, declaring in Amos 5:24: “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” Sponsorship is one way to stand against exploitation. By keeping children in school, providing safe spaces, and offering support to families, sponsorship breaks the cycle that leaves children vulnerable to trafficking.

The Middle East: Children in the Shadow of Conflict

The Middle East is a region steeped in history, faith, and culture. It is also a region marked by decades of conflict, war, and displacement. For children, this means growing up in environments of fear and instability. Refugee camps across the region are filled with children who have lost homes, schools, and family members.

Psalm 34:18 tells us, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Nowhere is this verse more visible than in the faces of Middle Eastern children who carry trauma yet long for peace.

In Syria, Yemen, and Gaza, children are often the first to suffer when bombs fall or food supplies are cut off. In Lebanon and Jordan, refugee camps overflow with children who have been displaced, their education interrupted and their futures uncertain. The world may see statistics, but God sees sons and daughters created in His image.

Faith in the Land of Faith’s Birth

The Middle East is unique because it is the birthplace of Christianity. It was here that Abraham was called, Moses led the people through the wilderness, and Jesus lived, died, and rose again. To serve children in the Middle East is to serve in the very soil where the Gospel was first proclaimed.

Yet today, many children in the Middle East grow up without hope. Poverty strips them of dignity, and conflict robs them of peace. Our presence here is not just humanitarian — it is profoundly spiritual. We are returning love to the land where love Himself was born.

In John 1:5, we read, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” The Middle East has seen darkness for centuries, but we believe the light of Christ still shines and will never be extinguished. Every child sponsored, every family supported, is another testimony that light is stronger than darkness.

Education in the Middle East

Like Asia, education is a pressing need in the Middle East. In conflict zones, schools are often destroyed, teachers displaced, and children left without access to learning. For refugee children, the challenges are even greater. They may spend years in camps without structured education, falling further behind.

Sponsorship helps rebuild education in these contexts. Church-based programs often provide makeshift schools in camps or war-affected areas. Children once wandering aimlessly are given structure, encouragement, and the chance to dream again.

Isaiah 54:13 promises, “All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace.” Education provides not only knowledge but also peace. It gives children stability in a world turned upside down.

Trauma and Healing

One unique challenge in the Middle East is trauma. Many children have seen violence firsthand, lost parents, or endured displacement. Trauma leaves deep scars that no amount of money alone can heal. Here the Gospel becomes central.

Jesus declared in Luke 4:18, “He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” Sponsorship in the Middle East is not just about food and schooling. It is about bringing healing to the brokenhearted, reminding children that they are loved and safe in Christ.

Through counseling, safe spaces, and the presence of caring adults, children begin to heal. Letters from sponsors can mean the world, serving as tangible reminders that they are not forgotten.

Why Focus on Both Together

Why Asia and the Middle East together? Because they represent both the scale and the depth of child poverty. Asia represents scale — billions of children, millions in need, the chance to reach entire generations. The Middle East represents depth — children living amid war and displacement, whose trauma requires more than resources; it requires hope.

By focusing on both, we follow Christ’s command in Matthew 28:19: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations.” Both regions are home to immense spiritual hunger. Both are places where the Church is present but often under pressure. Both need the witness of Christians who will stand with children and proclaim hope.

The Gospel at the Center

In both Asia and the Middle East, the Gospel remains the anchor. Material help is vital, but the ultimate transformation comes through Christ. Jesus said in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Sponsorship provides food, education, and safety, but it also points children to the fullness of life in Jesus.

This is why our focus is not only humanitarian but Gospel-centered. We believe that every child deserves not only to eat and learn but also to know the God who made them and loves them.

So, Why Focus Here?

Asia and the Middle East are regions of urgent need, but also of incredible promise. They are home to the world’s poorest children, but also to the next generation of leaders, pastors, and change-makers. They are lands scarred by conflict and exploitation, but also lands where the light of Christ has always shone.

By focusing here, we follow the call of God to defend the weak, to feed the hungry, and to proclaim good news to the poor. We go where the need is great, but also where the Gospel’s impact can be greatest.

For the children of Asia and the Middle East, sponsorship is not just about surviving today — it is about discovering tomorrow. It is about rewriting stories of despair into testimonies of hope. It is about believing that every child is made in the image of God, with dignity and purpose.

This is why we focus here. Because behind every statistic is a face. Behind every conflict is a child. Behind every need is an opportunity for the Gospel to shine. And because when the Church responds, Christ is glorified, lives are changed, and the Kingdom of God advances.