Zimbabwe
- Please be in prayer for the children of Zimbabwe who are at terrible risk because of the humanitarian crisis in their country—the worst since its independence. Because of crippling drought, controversial government land reforms, the HIV/AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated 570,000 internally displaced people, steep unemployment, the world’s highest inflation rate, and widespread political violence, children face a very, very bleak future. http://www.alertnet.org/db/crisisprofiles/ZW_CRI.htm
- Pray for the people of this country, of whom eighty-three percent live on less than $2 a day.
United States (One Is Greater than None – www.oneisgreaterthannone.org)
- Give thanks to God for the vision and work of eight 14-year-old girls who formed an organization to help sponsor rescue missions to save trafficked children in Africa. After seeing a program about children who had been trafficked to fishing villages in Ghana, the eight teenage girls decided to raise money to help these children and raise social awareness about this form of child slave labor.
- Thanks be to God for the work of the International Organization for Migration and the work they do in rescuing children from inhumane and brutal conditions. Pray for those who are tireless in their efforts to save children from this horrible form of slavery.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Encouraging news and some good answers to prayer have been reported back from BCT (Bethany Children’s Trust.) The boy who underwent horrific torture to ‘exercise the demons out of him’ is now able to take short walks around the hospital where he is receiving treatment and is greatly improved. He is even starting to smile again. Some kind benefactors have visited him to assess the situation and there is a possibility he could be transferred to a hospital in Belgium to receive more appropriate specialist treatment.
- Pray that the prophetess who was on bail awaiting trial will be found and brought to account.
- Pray for EPED, the organisation who is trying to trace the families of other children caught up in this horror, that they get cooperation from those who know the family’s whereabouts and that the judge rules in favour of releasing the other children caught up in this into EPED’s care.
- Pray that the Human Rights organisations who are getting involved continue to be supportive in providing the 3 lawyers who are working on this case and that they make good progress.
- A campaign called “Zaky is not a sorcerer” was launched on the International Day of the African Child (16 June) with financial support from the Belgian association “Dare to Live” (“Oser la vie”). EPED has been actively involved in preparing this campaign along with other Congolese and Belgian associations. Pray for that this advocacy campaign is highly effective in raising awareness and breaking down cultural myths regarding children being sorcerers.
- That in the light of this campaign the government will take swift action to legislate the code for the protection of Children in the DRC. Children in the DRC.
- Pray for God’s blessing and protection over all taking action on behalf of these children: EPED, African Association of Human Rights and the Belgian NGOs.
