Charities such as us are working to provide aid to those who need it the most, but the struggle to continuously raise funds is a barrier. With your donations we have been able to do marvelous things that would have inhibited multiple peoples lives and abilities if not completed. Although, we must acknowledge that charities such as ours get assistance from the community and our followers in many ways, and in this blog, I will tell you how you can help. 

2. Raise Awareness!

Need a topic to discuss with your friends? Perhaps consider informing them about issues they may not even be aware of. Did you know Leprosy is still prevalent in India today? Many people think it was an illness eradicated over 100 years ago as we don’t see it in the West. 

7. Become an Ambassador/ Share online

a. Reaching the correct audience is difficult without your help. The number of viewers on our content dramatically determines the amount of money we are able to raise. You can help us by simply pressing share or adding our posts to your story.

Overall, providing aid to your local charity is not as difficult as it may seem, as small actions such as those outlined above can lead to something great. When you are unable to donate, there are many other ways you can help. Remember that there are still people all around the world who need us to work for them to survive. Please consider supporting us on this journey. 

Introduction

As an 18-year-old starting a new job, knowing my largest strength was that I simply had a strong pull to simply help people, I was shockingly superficial to problems I saw all around me. With my problem-solving experience being largely based off of high school mathematics, I understood how to identify an issue, and work towards fixing it, but never stopped to realize, that perhaps I should be considering the root cause. This was a skill I would gradually come to learn and apply in my 16 months after that first day. In this blog I will highlight how my perspective was altered by this change in mindset.

At the Clinic 

It seemed as if pain was everywhere, being a college student with horrible posture, everyone I knew had back pain, my parents dealt with neck pain from driving, the cashier I met at shoppers had lower back pain, and lastly even my bus driver had Sciatica. I began thinking constant pain was the norm, everyone dealt with it, I had to just put it in the back of your mind and try to forget about it.

At this heightened time of acceptance, I conveniently got a job with a Chiropractor, how ironic I know. Something I realized right away was these patients were improving gradually, some quickly, others took longer.  Although this rivaled against what I had thought to be true, I was fascinated.

Chiropractic works on identifying the cause of the pain, rather than treating it. For example, many patients don’t realize that the pain they get shooting down the back of their thigh might have come from their Sacro-iliac joints or even the lower lumbar vertebrae.  After treating the patient at the source, you see relief, as the pain radiating away from the back subsides. This can work for other areas of the body too, such as shoulder pain, which is extremely common, especially if you’re an avid driver or writer, can be coming from a vertebra in the neck. Lastly there are many subluxations (a slight misalignment) that the patient hasn’t even realized yet, but for sure would have built up and caused discomfort later on.

Chiropractic for the World 

Obviously, I had heard about global issues, I had seen ads on TV, or learnt through social studies class that some countries were still considered as “developing”, these nations had an array of struggles, from healthcare, to education, even starvation. As much as I wished I could change this, it felt hopeless as an individual to create a lasting impactful change, when the issues can look so overwhelmingly large. Sadly, a part of me believed, there was no way that the people living in these impoverished states could receive the assistance they deserve.

Similarly, to the Clinic story, I began working with a charitable foundation to raise money and directly assist those in need overseas. I saw how a little bit of assistance can go a long way, when treating a bigger issue.

 Helping small portion of the larger problem, such as an paying an individual’s way through school, or assisting a family with funds to buy dinner, up until purchasing an ambulance for a leprosarium, diminish the radiating consequences. 

The Plan

Radiating pain or discomfort has always been the first symptom, whether it’s a common case of Sciatica or the 78% of India who don’t have access to healthcare.  Although the situation, the presence of back pain, or poverty may appear to be gigantic and unsolvable, even small action, as simple as a chiropractic adjustment, or a donation towards a child receiving a hearing aid can drastically cut down radiating effects. After repeated efforts these small actions can add up to big solutions, getting the required amount of chiropractic adjustments can cure your back pain, in the same way small contributions can provide a mobile health care unit which can provide aid to millions.

So, what is the treatment plan for poverty?

Small actions over time, which allow for big unachievable goals to be reached.

What action are you willing to take?

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

Do you know how to spell your name? If so, you’re already many steps ahead of millions of children in third world countries. Whether in Africa, India, South America, or elsewhere, young people around the world face constant barriers in getting an education—and that can have profound, lifelong consequences.

However, some people would do anything to ensure that these children receive the schooling that they need and deserve. For three teachers across the globe, making sure that children receive an education isn’t just an interest—it’s a duty.

 Inspiring Stories of Amazing Teachers 

Everyone has probably had that one teacher who made a difference in their life. But for children who can’t typically access education due to political conflict, cost, geography, poverty, and even the COVID-19 pandemic, a few teachers have stepped up in their communities to bring them the schooling they need.

Going the Distance

The sun is up early in the small region of Prey Veng in Cambodia, but the ardent teacher Seng is up even earlier. Attaching a cart to the back of her motorbike, she’s off to pick up children for preschool.

For the last 15 years, Seng has managed a community preschool, but many of her students rarely attended because the facility was three or more kilometers away from their homes. Because parents often couldn’t bring the children themselves, she decided it was time to take action on her own.

Early in the morning, the familiar sound of the motorbike brings the kids out to hop into the cart, and at the end of the day, Seng makes the same trip again to drop them off at home. Thanks to her efforts, the number of children attending preschool has multiplied drastically.

Seng won’t let the geographic and opportunity failings of her impoverished regions to deny children the right to an education. And she’s doing something about it.

Bringing the Classroom Home

Across the globe in Balochistan, Pakistan, another teacher is making waves to ensure that students aren’t locked out of schooling. Najeeba saw that COVID-19 had shut down schools, and her family stopped going. Determined to ensure they continued their learning, Najeeba crafted a sanitization station outside her home and called for all the students to attend there.

In place of a closed school, Najeeba turned her home into a classroom. WhatsApp groups experienced in home schooling have flocked to help her as she manages the daunting task of educating these students—even though she is a student herself.

Najeeba refused to give in when COVID-19 shut down schools. And now, students are continuing their education through her. 

Give a gift that will make a real difference in the lives of children 

Down to the southeast of Indonesia, the small island nation of East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, a teacher named Nicolau has acquired land on which to build a school accessible to more students than ever before.

With educational facilities miles out of reach for many rural families, Nicolau was upset—even at his own situation. Forced out of school at a young age himself due to political conflict, Nicolau vowed to bring education to those less fortunate. He recalled that during the time he was in school, the situation was so dire that even 17-year-olds were still studying in Grade 1 because they did not have the time or opportunity to attend regularly.

Convincing the local parents and authorities that a school was worthwhile proved to be a challenge—they believed that since girls were meant to get married and men to work, schooling was a pointless use of time. However, Nicolau never gave up, and his convincing prompted an important official to gift the land on which his school was built.

Now, with access to proper educational tools and even critical resources like water, the community is flourishing. 

Conclusion 

These teachers have made massive impacts in the lives of their communities. However, they could not have done it alone—Nicolau’s school, for example, still required the help of charitable causes. If you would like to give the gift of life-changing education to a family in a third world country, consider donating to CFTW. We build educational and medical facilities in areas that do not have access to them so that the families living their can receive the rights to education and health that they deserve, setting themselves up for future success. Even a few dollars can buy critical materials like textbooks and access to clean water.

Christmastime is here, and with it, the world shifts toward thoughts of gift, the joy of the season, and happiness. The sharing and caring, the demonstrations of love—these are what characterize Christmas and the jolly old man in red himself. For most people, the joy of the season is giving gifts that light up the faces of their loved ones and friends. Maybe it’s time to think outside your circle and consider what a very small gift could do for others?

COVID-19, lockdowns, wars, disasters, poverty—the world is full of suffering and sorrow. Hope is dying, and more and more people are struggling to find joy and peace in their lives. This Christmas season, you can be the light of hope that many people have given up on finding.

Be Generous, Be the Light of Hope 

You don’t need to be an army general, a famous politician, or a celebrity in order to inspire people—in fact, people don’t need to know who you are at all. You don’t have to be rich to make a difference. What you can do is your best.

Go to Old Age Homes to Celebrate Christmas 

One easy and fun option to be generous this Christmas season is with your time. Visit nursing homes and other long-term care facilities to spend time with the residents. You may bring simple gifts like socks if you wish; they’re easy to afford and can make a big difference in the comfort of the people who live there.

If you don’t have a few dollars to spare, your time alone is your generosity. Listen to these folks, some of whom have no family that comes to visit. They have amazing stories to tell, and they rarely get to tell them. Sit down and have a warm conversation this holiday season.

Give Gifts to Orphans in Orphanages 

Children who live in orphanages do not get to celebrate Christmas the way that most kids do. They might have a community Christmas where everyone receives a bar of candy, but there’s something special about getting a gift that’s given just to you.

Children in orphanages might appreciate books or small toys. You don’t have to break the bank, and these young ones can experience the joy of receiving a present wrapped just for them. Consider fun options like games that you can show them how to play so that they can spend some time with folks on Christmas!

Give Gifts to Special Children 

Not all children experience Christmas the same way. For some with processing disorders and other challenges, the season full of lights, glitter, and admittedly sometimes blaring music can cause stress, fear, and discomfort. This is not how Christmas should feel!

Consider offering different gifts to these children, even if they may be a bit more challenging to buy for. Excellent options include weighted blankets, noise-cancelling earbuds, or engaging puzzle toys that they can solve with their hands. If you’re not sure what to get, a donation to a worthwhile charity can make that decision in your place based on what they know the child likes!

Visit a Slum Area and Spread Joy 

Due to economic opportunity and other factors, many people who struggle to afford the traditional trappings of Christmas live in the same area. Consider spending time visiting a slum area and spreading joy to the families there. Many of them have likely given up on Christmas entirely, or they may be feeling inadequate that they can’t provide the Christmas they’d like.

Simple tasks like handing out canned goods or clothes can go a long way toward making these families’ Christmas bright. Consider providing necessities, and if you have some resources left over, throw in a treat or two. You will bring light and hope to dozens of people this way.

Donate to CFTW for Education or Health Welfare 

Charities play a big part in the Christmas season, and CFTW is no exception. We strive to give children and families around the world access to the education and healthcare resources that they need to thrive.

Many folks have never learned to read or write, and if they fall ill, medical care is too far away or too expensive. For these families, CFTW relies on the power of donations to fund the care and treatment that they deserve. CFTW builds schools and mobile health units to improve access worldwide.

Donate to build a better world. Your small contribution could forever change the life of a child or family, and there is no greater generosity than being someone’s light of hope in a dark time.

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.