Global Melkite Association is planning to be a Welfare Association at a global level, whose members are believed to play a social and humanitarian role through which they could help improve living conditions.

Therefore, the GMA goal is to determine the complicated, social and humanitarian problems and identify those people affected by them. However, even though we may possess some personal information, no names will be mentioned.

GMA will get in contact with financially secure business-people and international welfare Associations - such as World Vision, Caritas etc and present these hard situations to them, so that they may find solutions.

However, although some may financially go through hardship, they may still be part of that benevolent group of people or Associations by contributing a minimum of one dollar toward helping the poor. The needs of the financially disadvantaged are before all of us, and it is up to us to help relieve them.

Let us put hand in hand, to build a better international society, where those who are better off, may help the poor, with the riches of God.

The local church would keep sufficient confidential and secret information about those needing help to allow assistance to reach them.

Let those of us, therefore, who are better off, help the poor with the riches of God.

How we think this plan is going to work:
1-Financially well off, business people, or Welfare Associations, who, having the same goal and belief as we have, may express to us their wish to help.
2-We will link our GMA website, to the International Welfare Associations and present their main concerns and fix the problems with them.
3-We will establish a confidential page in our website, to introduce the situations that need help, without mentioning any private information.
4-We will mention in the same page, all the situations that we would be managing successfully and the people and the Associations that would be helping us reach our goal. 



You are God’s Hands on Earth


Feed the Hungry

Global Facts
• Hunger related diseases claim about 24,000 lives each day.
• Nearly 95% of the world’s malnourished people, live in developing countries, including 18% of children aged five and under.
• The number of overfed people in wealthy countries, equals the number of the world’s hungry.
• Hunger is a symptom of poverty and inequality, and not of food scarcity.

“For I was hungry and you gave me food.” (Matthew 25:35)

The reasons for hunger in the world vary from dieting to dire poverty. Most of the world’s developing nations, are unable to buy adequate food for their people because they have to pay their debts to the World Bank. World hunger is caused by both man-made and natural disasters. Today’s Catholics, face these challenges because our faith demands, that we be creatively engaged in sharing the food that sustains life.

 
Give Water to the Thirsty

Global Facts
• Worldwide, 2.3 billion people suffer from diseases related to poor quality water.
• About 20 percent of the world’s population lacks access to safe drinking water; 50 percent lacks adequate sanitation.
• At current, water consumption levels, the UN estimates that by 2025, two out of three people will live in water-stressed conditions.
 
“For I was thirsty and you gave me to drink.” (Matthew 25:35)

Even though access to safe drinking water is a basic human right, not everyone knows what it is like to quench their thirst with a drink of cool, clear, clean water. In some of the world’s most impoverished regions, water sources are in largely polluted area’s and pose a high risk of disease.







Shelter the Homeless

“For I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” (Matthew 25:35)

Worldwide, there is a growing number of homeless men, women and even children sleeping in doorways, train stations and under bridges, due to a lack of permanent, affordable housing, overcrowded, temporary shelters; unemployment and underemployment; breaking up of families; mental and physical disabilities and on a major scale, wars and natural disasters that displace families and whole communities. We count migrants, refugees, orphans, and foster children among the homeless.


Works of Mercy

“Whatever you do for the least of my brothers and sisters, you do for me.” (Matthew 25:40)

Introduction: The Old Testament (Isaiah 58:6-10) and the New Testament (Matthew 25:34-40) mention charitable actions for the common good and basic human welfare, which reflect the Church’s teachings on Catholic social justice. Pope John Paul II reminds us in his encyclical, Rich in Mercy: “Jesus Christ taught that man not only receives and experiences the mercy of God, but that he is also called to practice mercy toward others: ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”
The Holy Spirit inspires our commitment to the Works of Mercy and our commitment, defines our relationship with God. As His hands on Earth, the faithful are not only called to care for the less fortunate, but also to respect and care for the goods of God’s creation, intended for the whole human race. Each and every day, missionaries worldwide, live out the call to Works of Mercy through selfless, compassionate acts in response to the needs of the world’s poorest, most overlooked, forgotten and vulnerable members of society.


Visit the Sick

“For I was ill and you cared for me.” (Matthew 25:36)

“When we serve the poor and sick, we serve Jesus.” Saint Rose of Lima

Within almost every community, there are people who are isolated by illness, injury or old age. It would mean a lot to them if we reached out and offered them our helping hands. People living in remote, impoverished areas in developing countries, have severely limited health care facilities. Reaching out across the globe to helpless people, devastated by poverty and sickness, exemplifies Catholic social justice at its best.


Visit the Imprisoned

“For I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (Matthew 25:36)

We might say of justly convicted criminals, “they got what they deserve.” We seek justice, and not vengeance, realizing that even the vilest criminals are entitled to humane treatment. We hate the sin, not the sinner; for Jesus taught us both forgiveness and love of our enemies. 

Bury the Dead

“In death, God calls man to himself.”

“Even death cannot rob us of our fundamental dignity as human persons.”

The bodies of the dead must be treated with respect and charity, in the faith and hope of the Resurrection.
Christians believe that the act of “burying the dead”, encompasses compassion and support for survivors to help them better cope with their loss and to encourage them to go on living with the living. Anyone who has ever lost someone dear to them, knows firsthand, the depths of pain and anguish associated with such a loss.