Wells Point, USA (ANS) – 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.
DON’T MASK YOUR EYES: A new campaign launched by Gospel for Asia (GFA World, www.gfa.org) aims to make visible the “hidden” suffering of transient laborers and their families left jobless and starving hundreds of miles from home by the COVID-19 crisis.
“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.”
Hungry Families Walk Hundreds of Miles
In Punjab, many migrant families face a trek of hundreds of miles on foot to return to their home villages after factories were shut due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
One migrant family on the edge of starvation reached a feeding station just in time. “Because the children were crying, the parents were also crying,” said Bishop Martin Mor Aprem, a local church leader.
Another migrant laborer set off to walk 600 miles to his hometown, but was robbed on the way. “If it hadn’t been for the local feeding ministry, he would have starved to death,” Yohannan said. “And he’s just one of thousands in deadly danger.”
When local officials arranged bus transportation for 200 migrants, local church teams prepared food to go.
Meanwhile, thousands of laborers were uprooted by “super cyclone” Amphan that struck east India and Bangladesh last month, causing widespread hunger.
“These times are not easy,” said Yohannan, “but our Lord Jesus is providing us with the greatest opportunities to be his hands and feet in these difficult days.”
