April 15, 2021

Respected John Sir,

I don't know where to start  and how to start. So let's start from our first meeting. I hope you remember, our first meeting was in my ola cab. On that day you had booked my ola cab to go to the market from Priya's house. That day was also a normal day for me like the rest of my working days. I did not know that God was going to introduce me to a special man today. That man was Dr. John Bickert !

God had sent him to add some color to my colorless life and show the right direction to my directionless life. But I can not know in the first meeting. I picked him up from Priya home and dropped back like a normal customer and I thought that he came from another country and should have taken more business from him, then I had requested him. Sir, whenever you need a cab please call me any time. So this is how my journey Started with Dr. John and I did not realize it. When did he become a part of my family! We can also say that Dr. John's personality is such that he would make everyone his own within minutes. And I strongly believe that he is nothing less than a magician. Because the magician attracts everyone by hypnosis and Mr. John attracts everyone by running a spell of love.

So After first meeting we took many trips. Dr. John also introduced me to CFTW and provided knowledge about CFTW. Vision and Purpose of Cftw is to spread love and help those in need, Providing basic health facilities including healthcare and education in third world countries. And then I understood the reason for Dr. John's arrival in india. 

I always wanted to help others, due to the lack of income and lack of the right path I could hardly help needy people and whenever I had a chance to help a needy person I tried to help. We are human beings and this is the most unique thing created by God. And I strongly believe that God helps those who help others. So, Dr. John showed me the right path and  he started bringing me with him to help needy people. We visited many Places like ruler areas in delhi, punjab for giving treatment for any health related issue. We also visited schools / Colleges to help needy students who want to study, but because of the lack of money in the family, they are unable to study further.

I am thankful to Dr. John because he gave me the opportunity to serve others. Dr. John also helped me and helped my family alot during covid -19 lockdown periods. He helped us financially by buying groceries and paying the children 's school fees.

There are a lot of things to write and speak for him, But for a person like him, the more you write is less for him. There are very few people in the world. Who leave their mark in the hearts of others but you are one of them my dear Dr. John.

In the end it is thanks to God from bottom of my heart that he gifted me a friend like Dr, John. We love you alot. Sir. You are a legend for us.

and wish you a very very happy wedding Anniversary.

With Regards,

Amandeep Singh

Appeals for donations to help the poor are so abundant that the poor and destitute images become overly graphic and prevalent. Every person who has seen these images can quickly bring them forward to consciousness. Often, one must promptly dismiss the images to reduce the impact of the suffering may have on the day. It is preferable only to acknowledge the poverty and hope that one can make some active act of charitable donation when convenient. We maintain a shadow outline of the images to avoid excessive emotions of despair and hopelessness. If we dwell on these images, they may produce feelings of guilt, and since we cannot actively do something to help, one begins to resent the appeals for help to sideline the guilt feelings that may well up. Guilt is uncomfortable but results at times from a failure to act. If you have a charitable heart, then compassionate feelings can be overwhelming.

One cannot entirely dismiss mass media appeals. Ignoring them goes against a compassionate nature. Ignoring the prompts of compassion is highly uncomfortable, especially when an adequate response is not possible. We tend to relegate the tragedy of poverty to a passing image or cursory glance. Like the one my confessor unconsciously gave my abdomen while explaining how some forms of gluttony could be less serious than others, momentary intemperance in eating, for instance.

Perhaps Chesterton saw some deal with the pain of poverty. Rather than seeing the images with a clear, sharp lens, we prefer to see the images in vague outlines or a complex, impenetrable maze without seeing the pain. Chesterton states, “There are two ways of dealing with the dignity, the pain, the prejudice or the rooted humour of the poor; especially of the rural poor. One of them is to see in their tragedy only a stark simplicity, like the outline of a rock; the other is to see in it an unfathomable though a savage complexity."

There might be a particular splendour in poverty that reflects on the pessimist as bravery in the face of poverty. But at this point, the pessimist abruptly stops. They see poverty as a nebulous maze that resembles a forest entangling an unwary person who ventures into it. The pessimist believes the entire problem is beyond the ability of a few people to solve and relegates the issue as a whole to the grinding wheels of the bureaucracy of political channels and government studies and committees.

Meanwhile, in India, we have recently been told the middle-class suffers from lockdowns and social unrest and strikes. Food and fuel prices are soaring while businesses close and salaries are reduced in half. One example is a family who considered themselves “middle-class” in the past. We have helped them with school fees, but now other expenses are mounting. They now must live on 2500 rupees a month and are struggling to provide for their three children on that income.

Please commit to helping. Remember, Charity is the highest, most eminent virtue. You express that virtue with your donation. We struggle daily to help, but we can do nothing without your support.

Personal initiative is part of Spiritual Life. It is part of our freedom to chose how to act. When Charity reflects our love for God, and through that, we assist those in need, it is indisputable evidence of our love for God and, in turn, our love for others.

When giving is difficult, it is a more extraordinary act of your love for others. Mother Theresa is an excellent example of the freedom of action in Spiritual Life. 

Do not miss your opportunity to help those in need with your gift. 

Please Donate Now. 

God Bless,

Thank you

Dr. John Bickert,

President

CFTW 

We have just past the decade anniversary of the gigantic Japanese earthquake/tsunami which occurred on March 11, 2011. A force so strong, it not only shook Japan, but the rest of the world along with it. If you were over the age of 10 you probably remember what you were doing that day, and every news source providing updates on it for weeks afterward.

On that day, a 100-year-old Clock was stopped by the jolt, as one of it’s parts must’ve been knocked out of position. After this the clock has rested at an antique store to present day. However, this year on February 13^th, nearly 10 years after, Japan was struck with another Earthquake, while it was not as damaging as the massive quake of 2011, it still created fear. Many scientists believed this was still an aftershock of the original one. This aftershock must have been the correct amount of force needed, as it somehow turned the clock back on. 

The 58-year-old antique store owner claims this as a sign of restoration. World-wide efforts were made to assist Japans efforts in cleaning up the nuclear damage, along with providing aid to those who lost their homes and businesses. Although, the lasting impacts have still been lingering, in cases like this we must look towards instances such as the clock for hope.

At times we all fail to consider our privilege, and the fact that everything around us, the things, people and places we take for granted can be taken away at any moment. For the families who were impacted by the Tsunami, they are still dealing with radiating damages over a catastrophe which occurred 10 years ago.

But: “Education is the key to opportunity. It's a ticket out of poverty” – Barack Obama

References:

Clock stopped by Japan earthquake restarts decade on. (2021, April 14). Msn. Retrieved from https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/clock-stopped-by-japan-earthquake-restarts-decade-on/ar-BB1fEzMv

Giving away something you’ve earned can seem difficult, especially when that very thing is what keeps you alive and functioning in society, money of course.  Still, certain charities continue to successfully raise millions, even billions of dollars each year, such as The United Way with 3.6 Billion in private donations, or Direct Relief reaching 2 Billion in the last year (Barret, 2020). This compels the question, why are so many people driven to make donations? In this blog we will attempt to uncover the answer, based on a survey of 15 individuals, and journal analysis.

Trust 

Trust. If the donors can form a relationship with the organization they are donating to and can understand exactly where their money is going to, they are highly inclined to donate again.  Therefore, charities must focus on being completely transparent with where their funds are being allocated. 

Tax Benefits

Many individuals and companies regularly partake in making large donations to registered charities to decrease their income tax yearly. With companies such as Walmart donating over $400 million to registered Canadian Charities over the past 25 years (Walmart Canada). A clear guide on how to claim Tax deductible donations is offered through the Canada revenue agency, just follow the link here.

  Egoism/Social purposes

        Altruism

Oxford lists the definition of Altruism as being “the belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others”.This was the most common reason of giving among those surveyed, as they stated they felt compassion towards those in need or towards the less fortunate. With one individual stating “I’d rather do something kind for someone else than for myself” and another individual making a similar comment “’the feeling you are fortunate enough to help someone in need”.

Religion

Last but not least, a few individuals claimed religion to be their purpose. The following are two of the replies I got, “God pervades in every living soul so why not give back to the Great Giver by donating”, and another simply responding with “religion”. No religion is against charitable giving, with many even stating a minimum requirement. In Islam, the Zikat states they must donate 2.5% of the wealth yearly (Islamic relief) , many Christians and Jews believe in the principle of tithing (Christianity.com), which means giving 10% of their earning, similarly for Sikhs, a principle called the Dasvandh is followed where they either donate 10% of their income or 10% of their time in the form of volunteering (Sikhiwiki).

While it may seem, there is a right or a wrong reason for donating, in my opinion every reason is valid, as it is providing someone with a meal or a roof over their head that they wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. If we didn’t have our yearly contributors who donate for tax benefits or to enhance their reputation, a little girl may not have gotten an education. Therefore, we must look at it as a sort of necessary incentive and view the outcomes to be far more beneficial than the reason for the inputs.      

Sr. Joy and Sr. Anusha use the money to buy 100 blankets to be distributed among the poor in the New Delhi Slums and sleeping bags to people who lived under the metro tracks. 

Another CFTW Success!!!

We are amid worldwide changes. 2020 was a great challenge, and we hope that in 2021 we can surmount all the rigours life throws at us.

My 8-year-old grandchild, Joaquin, was interviewed today for a chance to move to a new school in Potomac, MD. He seemed to grasp the importance of the interview. 

The Principal, Mr. M, explained to Joaquin that there would be a lot of freedom at this new school. The Principle went on to ask, “What does this new freedom mean to you, Joaquin?”   

Joaquin is an avid reader and didn’t hesitate to quote from a book[1] he had just completed reading, “Well you know Mr. M, you can’t have freedom without self-discipline. Freedom comes from making good choices.” 

Mr. M., following the interview, reported to my delighted daughter what Joaquin had told him. 

Freedom truly is the freedom from slavery to bad choices and reactions to false pride and egoism. To make good choices is about seeing the need that exists around you and to open yourself to the Love of God, and respond to the impulse he gives us to be genuinely free.

Working in our clinic, a woman named Fozia told me she wanted to do something great, something extraordinary with her life. She is a Muslim woman recently married and waiting for her husband’s immigration to Canada.

“Precisely, that is what it does. It just hangs out in the sky and gives light for us in the dark. That is what you must do to be great. You must reflect God’s Love. You must be a light in the darkness.” I continued to say, “You are Muslim. You have devotion to Mary, the Mother of Jesus. What did she do special? Was she the leader of a country? Was she a corporate leader, an engineer, doctor, great scientist?”

Fozia smiled, “No.”

Mary said 2020 years ago, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices I God my Savior for he has regarded the humility of his handmaid. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. Because he that is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name…”[2]

“So Fozia,” I continued, “to be great in your life, you must reflect God’s Love and become like to moon, a light in the darkness like the moon reflects the light of the sun.”

We all have a choice to make 2021 better than in 2020. We have a choice of freedom to choose good or to remain slaves to capricious whims and passions.

Thank you for your donations to CFTW in 2020.  Please continue to be a light in the darkness and reflect God’s Love. 

Our projects desperately require your continued generosity.

“Well you know Mr. Ross, you can’t have true freedom without self-discipline.”

Please help us help those in need.

John Bickert, B.Ed., D.C.

President,

CFTW

 [1] The Way of the Warrior: An Ancient Path to Inner Peace © 2019 McManus, Erwin Raphael. The Fedd Agency, Inc. Austin TX

 [2]Luke 1:46-49Luke 1:46-49

The country of India is known for its bright festivals and unique architecture. Since its rise as a global power, many people have assumed that the wealth of the country has boosted the livelihoods of the people living there. Unfortunately, more than 80% of people live on less than $3 per day, and the top 1% own more than half of the country’s wealth. For perspective, 16 people in India are as wealthy as 600 million people—and that means that for many, opportunities as basic as learning to read and right are far out of their reach.

Why Children In India Need Your Help To Get Education 

India is well on its way to becoming the country with the largest, youngest workforce ever seen; half of its population is under the age of 25. If these young people are not able to complete an education, that’s half of India that will be unable to perform entire sectors of jobs. An educated population is good for a country—and for the people who were able to attend school.

But why do children withdraw from schools after only a few years? Why don’t they simply stay in school? To understand how we can help, first, we must understand why schooling is such a challenge.

Here are the reasons why children in India have been dragged out of school. 

The Gender Bias  

One of the main drivers of dropouts is gender. Daughters are expected to help in the kitchen and at home, while sons can go to school. In addition, lack of access and affordability to feminine products mean that girls who make it past the first year or two or schooling drop out once they reach menstruation (at a rate as high as 57%). Young arranged married to older men has the same effect.

Uninteresting Methods of Teaching  

India continues to struggle with the methods its teachers use—likely a result of those teachers themselves not receiving sufficient education or income to improve the classroom. Blackboards and chalk are still the standard method, and without engaging and comprehensive teaching tools, many students don’t learn as much as they could. This leads to the feeling that their time would be better spent earning some income for their family in poverty, and so they drop out to do labor jobs. And despite the country’s booming growth over the last 15 years, the majority of it has been jobless creation of further wealth for the rich, which never improves the lives of those in the slums who do not have access to that private money.

Unavailability of Resources 

Because the 1% control so much of the nation’s wealth, very little is sent to schools. This means that government schools in the slums are in disrepair, and teachers do not have access to critical tools such as multiple copies of textbooks and workbooks. And with some schools being too far for many low-income families to reach on foot, education is out of the question for a large number of households.

What Can We Do to Bring a Child to School 

As a charity, CFTW is working hard to ensure that underprivileged children in third-world countries receive the education they need to pull their families out of poverty and have a chance at the life they deserve. We pay school fees, build schools, and more to spread education across every corner of the world. 

Ajitha, one young woman that we have sponsored for three years, is closer to graduation than the vast majority of her female peers due to our support—and we hope to see her graduate and find success. Her success directly impacts the wellbeing of her family and her country of India.

Just $25 can help to educate the children of India who do not have the access to schooling that they deserve. You likely can’t go to India, Africa, and other struggling areas to teach children yourself, so let CFTW do it on your behalf. For the cost of a couple cups of coffee, you can help us to sponsor more children and build more schools. Donate to give the lifelong gift of education.

Introduction

Africa has generally been known as a continent where poverty is common and subsisting on a low income is the norm. However, the impoverished communities of this beautiful continent are growing, and by 2030, it is anticipated that as many as 90% of the world’s total poor population will be located in this area.

The data can be difficult to decipher at first, and it may even appear on the surface to indicate that poverty in the African region is on a decline from 54% in 1990 to 41% in 2015. However, due to the population growth that occurred at the same time, the total number of people who are living in extreme poverty has actually increased substantially, from 278 million to 413 million in the same time period.

Some countries are making strides toward ending poverty, with Ethiopia and Kenya the closest and Ghana close behind. However, Zambia and Mali have struggled to achieve the same international assistance seen by some other countries.

Why No Improvement?

The reasons why poverty continues to dominate talk in Africa are many, and not all are easy to solve. In total, 27 of the 28 poorest countries in the world are in Sub-Saharan Africa, with poverty rates over 30%. But poverty is not just a measure of financial wellness or the ability to acquire income; rather, it is a holistic examination of quality of life that considers hunger, shelter, access to healthcare, education access (both in terms of distance and society), being able to read or have a job, losing children to curable illnesses, and even the attitude of living one day at a time.

The most common factors by which poverty is measured are:

• Availability of shelter

• Access to clean food and water

• Ability to use healthcare services

• Government corruption

• Poor infrastructure

• Consumption of natural resources

However, in addition to these external criteria, individuals must also be assessed for emotional and spiritual poverty. These can have just as important an impact on the world—an emotionally and spiritually fatigued individual may not have the aspiration to continue their education, and the world has lost a valuable mind who may have made breakthroughs and contributions to others.

Why Address Poverty?

Our humanity often moves us to commiserate about the state of poverty in Africa, but sympathy alone is not the only reason to address poverty around the world. Because the insecure lifestyle generated by inadequate provisional needs makes people vulnerable, a number of issues can arise that have a global impact.

Imagine, for example, the change that would occur to unrest in the region if more people had access to food, healthcare, and job opportunities. Inept leadership may be replaced with highly educated individuals who are suited to lead wisely, and a country with strong leadership can become an integral player on the international stage. Similarly, countries that do not have inadequate healthcare help to keep global travel robust and safe despite outbreaks of dangerous diseases like Ebola and COVID-19.

US vs. THEM

African countries continue to fall behind in their goals to eradicate poverty. In September 2015, nations around the world joined in the Sustainable Development Goals agreement that was intended to eradicate poverty; however, many African countries are not on track to meet their promised poverty levels. 

Part of the reason for falling short is due to a lack of international funding. Communities already stricken by poverty cannot just pull themselves up by their bootstraps; they need international aid from NGOs and other charitable organizations. If you have the financial means, you too can help pull people out of poverty by donating to these worthwhile causes.

Organizations like CFTW make it their mission to rehabilitate poverty stricken communities and heal the whole person—not just by providing financial means. Instead, CFTW and other charities work with underprivileged communities to educate them both academically and spiritually so that they can move on as fully realized individuals.

You can help CFTW and other charitable organizations by donating as you are financially able. Your contributions, even in the amount of a few dollars, go a long way in communities where a single dollar is more than some people earn for an entire day’s work. You can also contribute your time via volunteer hours at the in-person or online organizations that you are most passionate about. We have a global responsibility to help our fellow humans in need, especially when they are unable to help themselves.

Introduction  

Across the globe, women often find themselves in underprivileged positions when it comes to education. Many women are denied basic access to schooling, and with this comes a lack of ability to read or write. Even if a family contains a man who is literate, women being unable to perform these tasks has wide-ranging impacts on communities and nations.

Some countries continue to struggle with literacy in general; less than 20% of Niger’s population can read and write, and Ethiopia remains under half. Men globally lead women by as much as 8% in terms of literate population, and only approximately 11% of women in African and Indian communities have received sufficient education to read and write.

Developing greater literacy among women is a crucial issue, not only because equal access to education should be a basic human right but also because literacy improves life outcomes. When most nations are made of somewhere around 50% women—and those women are uneducated—the average education level of the population decreases, and problems that could be solved with enough scientists and researchers may be neglected.

Similarly, many women who cannot read or write live in impoverished communities, particularly in Africa and India. If these women were educated, they could turn their abilities into income generation and provide better outcomes for themselves and their families. This would boost their entire community and create positive influences.

Causes and After-Effects of Low Female Literacy

Across the world, women face many challenges in seeking equal education. In areas suffering from poverty, many women cannot spare the time to attend schooling when they must help to care for family—whether their own children or their siblings and older relatives. In India, public schooling facilities do not have separate bathrooms for women; as a result, as many as 23% of girls stop their education once they reach puberty since they do not have the resources they need to cope with menstruation at school. 

For some, physical access to a school is a problem when the only location is far away from their homes. For others, child marriage places a burden on their ability to continue their education. The reasons that women are globally less literate are many, and the effects are lasting.

Women who did not attend schooling tend to raise female children who will also drop out of schooling. This keeps families in a cycle with little to no upward mobility or improvement in their circumstances, as education is not opening the way to greater income opportunities. A nation with half of its population unable to reach their full potential cannot solve problems with the same speed, efficacy, and utility as a nation with a higher literacy rate. In fact, if India were to improve learning outcomes for women and encourage females to study in order to join the workforce like their male counterparts, the country could expect an estimated $770 billion growth in the GDP in the next five years. 

What Can WE Do?

Those of us who have been raised literate—and you have, if you are reading this—may struggle to understand what we can do to bring necessary education to young women around the world. Women in Africa and India continue to struggle to attend schooling due to a number of issues that may seem simple to solve, such as providing needed menstrual products, building schools close to communities, and prohibiting female children from being responsible for housework for the entire day. However, these issues are more complex than they may appear, and many of the communities struggling with this problem live on less than $2 per day—not enough income to generate substantive change for themselves.

Instead, it is primarily the role of NGOs and charitable organizations to lend a helping hand to improve outcomes for these young women. CFTW is one organization that is passionate about providing support to the whole person, not just by offering financial assistance and education but also spiritual healing and mental help. CFTW has been hard at work building schools so that more students have greater access; these schools have appropriate facilities, such as separate bathrooms, to encourage young women to continue attendance.

If you would like to do your part to help solve the problem of female literacy around the world, consider a donation to charitable organizations like CFTW. If you are not in a financial position to make this contribution, you can also make a difference by volunteering your time or offering a needed service that you are skilled at so that charities can spend time accomplishing their goals for these young women.