Weekly Prayer Update
Thursday, April 18, 2024
Cholera Outbreak in Eastern and Southern Africa
In Eastern and Southern Africa, an outbreak of cholera is sweeping across countries like Zambia, Somalia, and Sudan. Since last year, the region has recorded more than 230,000 cholera cases in 16 out of 25 countries, causing the deaths of more than 4,000 people. Zambia has experienced its worst epidemic in 20 years, with 705 lives lost and more than 21,000 infected since October of 2023. Fueled by drought and other climate crises, people are leaving their homes and failed crops to seek food and employment in cities. Many are settling in camps that have limited sanitation facilities. These crowded areas create perfect conditions for the spread of cholera.
The Church of the Nazarene in Zambia is responding to the outbreak in their country by purchasing and distributing 3,000 bottles of liquid chlorine to homes in impacted areas. An expected 300 volunteers will take part in this month-long outreach. Future hopes for outreach include care for displaced people, job skill training, child-safe spaces, trauma counseling, and installing clean water points to prevent the spread of cholera or other diseases.
Lord, we pray for the people in Southern and Eastern Africa who are fighting cholera. We also pray for comfort and hope for those who are mourning the loss of loved ones. We pray for protection and strength for medical workers. Bring an end to this drought and provide opportunities for people from rural areas to leave crowded settlements and return home to fruitful land.
Intense Heat Forecasted for East Asia and the Pacific
According to UNICEF, forecasts of a summer of record heat across East Asia and the Pacific put the lives of millions of children at risk. UNICEF estimates that across the region, around 243 million children are exposed to hotter and longer heatwaves, putting them at risk of a multitude of heat-related illnesses and even death. With children’s lower ability to regulate their body temperature, they are at the greatest risk of heat-related illnesses and mortality. Extended heat waves impact children’s ability to learn and play. On April 12, more than 7,000 schools in the Philippines suspended in-person classes due to extreme heat, with indexes for the day soaring to over 44 degrees Celsius (111.2 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas of the country.
We pray for children impacted by the high heat this summer in East Asia and the Pacific. As climate crises continue to impact human life, provide ways for children, the elderly, those with poor health, and others who are especially vulnerable to be protected from the impact of extreme temperatures, both hot and cold.
Economic Development Ministries
When disasters come, the world’s most vulnerable people don’t have safety nets; when homes and livelihoods are destroyed, there is often nowhere to go and no way to recover from the loss of income. Disasters make life harder for those already struggling to survive. NCM works with churches around the world to care for the most vulnerable individuals and families in their communities.
We pray for those impacted by disasters. We ask that in the midst of great difficulties, you would provide those in need with hope, help, and healing. Lord, hear our prayers.