INTERNAL CONFLICT. has driven more than 1 million people from their homes, over half of them children.2

Transcription

1 IN THE MARGINS South Sudan: Children in Need of Food and Protection.9 MILLION people in South Sudan about onethird of the country s population are seriously short of food. INTERNAL CONFLICT has driven more than million people from their homes, over half of them children. An estimated million children under 5 will need treatment for acute malnutrition in 04; WITHOUT FOOD AID, 50,000 COULD DIE. SITUATION As a result of decades of civil war, sporadic communal violence, and the recurrent shocks of floods and drought, one in every three people in South Sudan are in need of immediate food assistance. Even before the current crisis, which began in 0, the lack of roads and pervasive underdevelopment made South Sudan one of the most difficult environments to work in worldwide.4 Thousands of displaced families were unable to plant crops as the rainy season began in 04, putting as many as million children at high risk of malnutrition. U.N. and humanitarian groups are rushing to provide food, vaccinations, and household resources, but as with the Somalia/Horn of Africa food crisis in 0, experts fear that the international community as a whole will fail to heed the warnings until it is too late.

2 Besides the internally displaced, as of mid-04 there were some 400,000 refugees from South Sudan living in Ethiopia (58,64), Uganda (8,4), Sudan (8,000), and Kenya (4,5). 5 PLEASE PRAY that safe shelter will be found for South Sudanese families. Displaced families who have found shelter inside compounds are relatively safe and have access to available aid supplies. Space is insufficient, however, and those outside are often not reached with food, clean water, or other basics. Lord, come to the aid of families who hug the rocks for lack of shelter (Job 4:8). Help them find refuge from the fighting. In Your mercy, protect their physical and emotional well-being. for children s health and welfare. Malnutrition weakens children so that they are more susceptible to preventable but deadly diseases. Humanitarian groups are rushing to vaccinate children against diseases like measles and typhoid and to provide food resources that will strengthen children against illness. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. Matthew 5:5 (NIV) Lord, we lift up South Sudanese children who lack food and healthcare. We ask that You would help their parents find food for them. Let aid distributions reach the children in greatest need. In Your mercy, provide children what they need to survive. for hostilities to cease. Conflict has threatened this area of the world for decades. While peace has remained elusive, many people and groups are working together to find solutions to the multiple issues. Resolution will allow families to return home and rebuild their lives in safety and security. Lord, You [make] wars cease to the ends of the earth (Psalm 46:9). We pray for hostilities in South Sudan to come to an end. Help combatants to set aside their differences and settle their grievances. In Your mercy, bring peace to this nation. for aid workers. The conflict has made life extremely difficult for aid workers. Helping people in insecure contexts presents daunting physical, mental, and spiritual challenges. Some aid workers and their families are inside

3 U.N. compounds, while some are not. Many face the added challenge of not having enough supplies to help everyone. Lord, we lift up to You all of the aid workers in South Sudan. Give them strength and courage for each day s tasks. We ask You to sustain and encourage them during difficult times. In Your mercy, guide them with wisdom. for South Sudan. Less than four years old as an independent state, South Sudan faces a multitude of challenges, including high rates of hunger and child mortality. The country continues to face internal conflicts as well as ongoing tensions with Sudan. Ask God to guide this young nation and give its people a vision for a healthy future and the determination and resources to realize it. Lord, You have seen the birth of so many nations throughout the ages. Grant wisdom to the leaders of South Sudan as they face many challenges at this early time in their country s history. For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. Psalm 7:- (NIV) CHM474_ World Vision, Inc.

4 IN THE MARGINS Syria: Families Displaced and Vulnerable MORE THAN 6.5 MILLION are displaced within Syria. The Syrian civil war has created OVER.9 MILLION $ OUT OF 4 EVERY PEOPLE REFUGEES, at least half of them children. Syrians now live in poverty. SITUATION Three years after the onset of civil conflict in Syria, the violence has displaced millions within the country and caused millions of refugees to seek safety in neighboring Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and Turkey, as well as North Africa and other regions creating the world s largest population of forcibly displaced people. PLEASE PRAY for peace and safety for the people of Syria. An estimated million buildings, including homes and businesses, have been destroyed in the violence, 4 and about 80 percent of the workforce is unemployed as a result of the conflict. 5

5 Lord, Psalm 46:9 declares that You [make] wars cease to the ends of the earth. Help those in conflict in Syria to reach a peaceful resolution so that innocent citizens may return and rebuild their lives. Lord, we trust in You. for the protection of families forced to leave their homes. Syrian families have been uprooted from their homes and displaced in their own country, or have fled to neighboring countries. Lord, come to the aid of families who are seeking safety. Guide them to places where they can find help and rest. Provide host communities with the resources and the goodwill to assist them. Lord, we trust in You. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. Deuteronomy 0:8 (NIV) for access to essentials for families in need. Families living in tents or dilapidated structures are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat or cold. And as limited resources are stretched by growing refugee populations, tensions rise in host communities. Lord, have mercy on those who have no comfortable place to stay. Provide desperate families with the basics they need to survive winter cold and summer heat. Infuse aid organizations with extra supplies to meet their various needs. Lord, we trust in You. for continued education for children missing classes. An estimated.8 million school-aged Syrian children are no longer in school amounting to nearly half of the country s children. 6 Of these,. million remain in Syria, where either they have been forced from their communities or they can no longer attend classes because their schools are damaged or occupied by displaced families. The half-million child refugees who remain out of school in host countries find it difficult to enroll and participate in classes that are not in their native language. Lord, You know that children whose educations are disrupted often find it difficult to catch up. This threatens their future prospects for a career and the means to support a family. We ask You to help children who are missing classes today. Help them to resume their studies, and give teachers the ability to help students regain what they may have lost. Lord, we trust in You.

6 for resilience and faith for our brothers and sisters in Syria. There are many Christian communities in this region whose histories date to New Testament times. Saul, for example, was helped by Christians in Damascus after his encounter with the ascended Christ (Acts 9). These communities today have requested prayer that they may stay strong in faith. Lord, we lift to You our brothers and sisters in Christ living in this region. Strengthen them with power through Your Spirit (Ephesians :6) and help them to endure hardship and remain faithful, knowing that nothing can separate them from Your love. Lord, we trust in You. for access to medical care and improved health. Immunization rates in Syria have plummeted from 99% to 5% since the conflict began. 7 A measles outbreak and a resurgence of polio have caused grave concern, alongside worries about sanitation-related diseases including typhoid, cholera, and diarrhea. 8 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. Psalm 9:4 (NIV) Lord, we ask You to be with humanitarian and health workers who lack the facilities and resources to serve people in need. Equip and strengthen them to bring urgently needed care to those suffering from diseases caused or exacerbated by poor living conditions. Lord, we trust in You. reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/syria%0humanitarian%0bulletin_issue%048_%0may%0-%08%0june%004.pdf reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/syria%0humanitarian%0bulletin_issue%048_%0may%0-%08%0june%004.pdf reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/syria%0humanitarian%0bulletin_issue%048_%0may%0-%08%0june%004.pdf CHM474_ World Vision, Inc.