Pray for Peace and Reconciliation in Central African Republic

Posted on by 施達基金會

[ePrayer – Pray for CAR]

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Recent conflict has left thousands dead and 800,000 people homeless in Central African Republic (CAR), while 250,000 fled to neighbouring countries–Cameroon, Chad, Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. More than half the population, about 2.5 million people, are in urgent need of food, water, sanitation and healthcare.

The latest chapter in CAR’s history of violence dated its cause in December 2012, when Seleka – a coalition of predominantly Muslim rebel forces – was formed, and it eventually brought the president Francois Bozizé down from power in March 2013. Under the governance of Michel Djotodia, who is the leader of Seleka claimng himself the President of CAR between March 2013 to January 2014, rebellion and waves of lawlessness are seen, and in the absence of police and other state security forces, the largely Christian population in villages across the north has to form self-defence units called ‘anti-balaka’.

A lady seeking refuge in a Catholic sanctuary told her story, that Seleka forces came and razed her entire village, murdering her husband, slashing other family members with a machete and killing five of her neighbours. However, the self-defence units are no less vicious that the former rebels. ‘The anti-balaka came and attacked our house at 5am. They caught my husband on the veranda and sliced him on the head, the side, and the back with a machete when holding him’, another lady added.

A new interim president, Catherine Samba-Panza, was elected in January 2014 and has called on all sides to show their support for the interim administration by laying down their arms.

Tearfund UK, a member of Integral Alliance*, told us that the needs are just overwhelming. ‘The people are trying to survive from these horrific experiences against the historical context of very high vulnerability due to chronic poverty, marginalisation, neglect and exploitation. Needs for clean water and sanitation, healthcare, food security, shelter and protection are real and immense. Trauma is widespread thus psycho-social needs are huge given the recent gratuitous violence. There is and will be a need for peace-building and reconciliation at all levels of this now deeply fractured society, pointing to a need for long term engagement for real change and transformation.’ [Tearfund UK(1), Tearfund UK(2), IRIN(1), IRIN(2), IRIN(3),]

Meditate on Scriptures:

‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ Matthew 6:9b-10

If you were born in the midst of war and conflict, and if you witnessed, even suffered from violence and cruelty, would you stay or go?

If you hear about the devastations caused by warfires and are told about the dire state where the masses there are in, will you do something or not?

We often pray, ‘May your kingdom come!’ but have we prepared ourselves to participate in this heavenly project? Let us continue praying, ‘May your kingdom come’ but at the same time prepare ourselves to participate in it, in prayer as well as action!

Pray for CAR:

  • Pray for Catherine Samba-Panza, the new Interim President of CAR, for wisdom, protection, perseverance and a good team around her as she starts working for peace.
  • Pray that the women and girls would be kept safe, especially those who are vulnerable to sexual assaults, those who staying in their homes, and those who are now living with thousands of others in the refugee camps.
  • Pray for security, insight, wisdom and deep peace to the frontline workers of Tearfund UK and other aid agencies in the midst of crisis.
  • Pray that the international community will keep its promise to ensure the continuation of humanitarian and peacekeeping work in CAR, so that the vulnerable can be protected and peace be restored.

* Integral Alliance is a global alliance comprising of 19 Christian relief and development agencies, working together to deliver a more effective response to poverty worldwide. CEDAR is one of the member agencies.

UN Highlights Essential Actions to Reduce Child Deaths from Pneumonia

Posted on by 施達基金會

[ePrayer – Pray for children vulnerable to pneumonia]

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Nowadays, every 30 seconds, a child younger than five dies of pneumonia. UN and its partners are marking World Pneumonia Day on 12 Nov by highlighting essential actions that can help end child deaths from the single biggest killer of children under the age of five around the world. They are:

  1. exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continued breastfeeding complemented by nutritious solid foods up to age two; 
  2. vaccination against whooping cough (pertussis), measles, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and pneumococcus; 
  3. safe drinking water, sanitation and hand washing facilities; 
  4. improved cooking stoves to reduce indoor air pollution; 
  5. treatment, including amoxicillin dispersible tablets and oxygen.

[UN News]

Pray for children vulnerable to pneumonia:

  • Pneumonia is preventable. Pray that all governments are willing to work together to help children preventing pneumonia in unity;
  • Pray that those vulnerable children will have access to vaccination and medical care needed for prevention and treatment, esp. those in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Sri Lankan School Children Lack Proper Toilets

Posted on by 施達基金會

[ePrayer – Pray for the school children in Sri Lanka]

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Nearly one million school children – about a third of the school-age population in Sri Lanka – do not have safe sanitation, due to lack of toilets or without water supply in their schools.

’There are schools where children are advised not to drink water to avoid visits to toilets. In 13 years of schooling, children sow seeds not for education but for renal failure. … Girls are regularly discouraged from using toilets and suffer the most and are compelled to absent themselves from school during menstruation.’ said a local NGO.

A local mother said, ’My daughter is about to reach puberty. I am worried about her personal hygiene because the school, despite our complaints, has still not managed to get water supply to the toilet. …In fact, the teachers’ toilet suffers the same plight.’ [IRIN]

Pray for the school children in Sri Lanka:

  • May the local government cooperate with NGOs, to find out a better solution to solve the school children’s sanitation problem.
  • May the communities, families and children acquire enough knowledge in basic health, and have the common goal of reaching a better human health.
  • May the people extend their concern from merely a health issue to renewing human dignity values.

A Call for Greater International Cooperation on Water and Sanitation

Posted on by 施達基金會

[ePrayer – Pray for water and sanitation in the world]

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Water and sanitation, which is fundamental to fighting disease and poverty, are included in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Last year, it was said that the world had reached the target of access to improved sources of water, but water quality to a large degree still fails to meet basic UN World Health Organization (WHO) standards. Roughly 80 per cent of global wastewater from human settlements or industrial sources is discharged untreated, contaminating oceans, lakes and rivers. Sanitation is the most lagging of the MDGs. Meeting the target would involve reducing the proportion of people without access to sanitation from more than half, to 25 per cent by 2015. However, more than 2.5 billion people around the world still have no adequate sanitation and of these one billion practice open defecation. Poor sanitation also has a big impact on the safety and well-being of women and girls; the day-to-day humiliation and risks faced by women and girls without access to appropriate sanitation facilities have been demonstrated time and again. Therefore, renewed international cooperation on water management and access to adequate sanitation is needed. [UN News]

Pray for water and sanitation in the world :

  • Pray for greater international cooperation on working towards sustainable solutions and measures to improve water management and sanitation;
  • Remember the needs and situations of those without clean and safe water and adequate sanitation, especially vulnerable women and girls.

 

Access to Sanitation Still a Luxury for Nigerians

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[ePrayer – Pray for the health and sanitation condition in Niger]

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Open air defecation is a widespread hazard in Niger, especially in rural areas. Out of 15.5 million Nigerians, 14.1 million do not currently have access to proper toilets, while 79 percent resort to open air defecation. Contagious diseases are caused by a lack of sanitation and hygiene. Because money is needed to construct toilet and there is difficulty of maintaining the deep pit required for latrine, people living in rural Niger do not use toilet frequently   Aid agency attributes this to the government’s failure to honour previous financial commitments in the sanitation sector. [IPS]

Pray for the health and sanitation condition in Niger:

  • Pray for the improvement of health and sanitation in Niger as well as the awareness of Nigerians on health and hygiene;
  • Pray that the Nigerian government will achieve its target to increase the number of people with access to sanitation from six percent in 2009 to 25 percent per year by 2015.