Pakistan
· Please pray for the safety and well being of the 16-year-old daughter of a tribal leader in Pakistan. Her father has been ordered by a council (jirga) to hand her over to a rival family as compensation for a relative’s crime in a centuries old practice called swara. (DIGNITY/Dawn) Swara is a virtual death penalty for young women who become victims of the tradition. (Human Rights Commission of Pakistan) Many live their lives in perpetual bondage; are denied proper food, clothing and medical care; are considered the lowest member in their husband’s family; and often commit suicide or are murdered by the hostile family. (Women’s Enews)
· Pray for an end to the practice of swara in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Afghanistan
· Please be in prayer for the children of Afghanistan who have been adversely affected by two consecutive years of severe drought. Approximately 2.5 million Afghans across much of the country have lost crops and are facing acute food shortages. Children are suffering dreadfully from the effects of malnutrition—many just have boiled water and sugar on which to subsist. Another effect of the drought is that very young girls, some as young as 8 years old, are “sold” into marriage for the bride price so their families can buy food. (DIGNITY/The Observer UK)
· Please pray for children who are suffering from malnutrition—pray that aid can reach remote villages cut off by snow.
· Pray for the safety of children sent on three-hour long journeys to collect firewood and water.
· Please pray for an alternative way to provide for destitute families other than the sale of their children.
· Pray for an end to the attitude that daughters are considered economic assets.
Haiti
· Give thanks to God for the recent safe travels of several volunteers to Canaan Orphanage in Haiti.
· Please continue to pray for the 80 children living at Canaan Orphanage—that God will bless them and provide for all of their physical, emotional, educational and medical needs.
· Pray for the 20 workers in the orphanage—that God will continue to bless them with compassion and patience. Please pray for God’s continued guidance and support for Gladys and Henry, the orphanage leaders who serve so selflessly.
· Continue to pray for the children of Haiti, “the hemisphere’s poorest country,” where four out of five adults is unemployed or underemployed. Most of the population gets by on less than $2 a day. (Washington Post)
· Pray that Haiti might have political stability and peace so the children of this country can grow and thrive in safety.
