Afghanistan: Covid crisis
09 Jul 2020
This prayer update is based on input from a contact of International Prayer Connection who is living in the region (for the full letter click the ‘More’ button). ‘Covid-19 spreads like wildfire and it looks as if the whole country is penetrated by this virus. We received reports that it has now reached the mountainous areas, whereas previously it was mostly contained in the larger cities. Many are dying because of lack of medical facilities. People are poor and cannot afford to buy oxygen cylinders. Many brothers and sisters, expats and locals, have become quite seriously ill. Some are suffering from tiredness, anxiety and depression.’ The UN said the new coronavirus outbreak is casting ‘a huge shadow’ over Afghan daily life. Under the government’s leadership, the UN is supporting a coordinated response that includes setting up a nationwide network of laboratories and the provision of personal protective equipment.
Although emigration is increasing because of the new national security law, many people will leave not because of communism or a lack of unfettered democracy, but due to never-ending disruption to their lives and careers and their children’s future. In October 2019 an annual survey of attitudes towards migration found 42.3% of Hong Kong respondents wanted to emigrate - mostly to Canada, Australia or Taiwan. It was 33% in 2018. Decades of political and economic uncertainty, combined with entrenched unresolvable divisions between people pleased to be rejoined with the mainland and those who still hanker for former colonial rule, has caused uncertainty and unrest. Hong Kong’s population planners concentrate on birth and death rates, but a meaningful force for population change has been migration. With little hope of earning enough to buy a family home, many may decide they have little to lose. Hong Kong’s property cartel is pushing inequality to the brink.
Lebanon: main hospital closing wards
09 Jul 2020
The main coronavirus hospital in Lebanon has been forced to close operating rooms and delay surgeries amid lengthy power cuts caused by a spiralling economic crisis. Dr Firass Abiad said Lebanon’s largest public healthcare facility was ‘barely making ends meet’ and running out of fuel to power generators for power cuts now lasting 15 hours. Despite soaring summer temperatures the hospital has turned off air-conditioning units in the administrative offices and in the corridors to ensure wards and intensive care units can be cooled, as they treat over 90% of the country’s two thousand confirmed coronavirus cases. He warned that if the crippling power cuts continue, the hospital would have just enough fuel to man the generators for three weeks. The crisis at the hospital is part of the fallout of an unprecedented financial crisis and deteriorating economic conditions in the country.
Africa: tracking coronavirus
09 Jul 2020
The coronavirus outbreak has reached every nation in Africa, a continent of 1.2 billion people. As of 7 July the confirmed death toll was 12,000, with fatalities including the former president of the Republic of the Congo and Somalia's former prime minister. With over 500,000 confirmed infections in Africa, experts warn that fragile healthcare systems in many countries could be overwhelmed in the face of a severe outbreak of Covid-19. African countries urgently need to scale up coronavirus testing and the use of face masks, a regional disease control body said, as the epidemic gains traction across the continent. New cases were up 24% in the past week. The pandemic is gaining full momentum: see
Zimbabwe: Peace Direct
09 Jul 2020
Since its independence in 1980, Zimbabwe has experienced low-intensity conflict marked by periods of escalation and political violence. Once an economic powerhouse, Zimbabwe suffers from a worsening currency and economic crisis, leading to a rise in protests with some turning violent. Peace Direct and its partner, Envision Zimbabwe Women’s Trust, work in Murewa and Hurungwe districts to address the deeply embedded culture of violence by training traditional local leaders and the national police force in non-violent conflict resolution. They prevent violence against women by providing gender training and supporting women who have been victims of sexual violence or domestic abuse. Their local peace committees defuse community tensions through an ‘early warning early response’ network monitoring flashpoints of violence, so they can be quickly identified and calmed. Nationally unresolved conflicts remain rooted in disputes over national power and economic hardship.
USA: pandemic - what went wrong?
09 Jul 2020
45 days before the first coronavirus case was announced, a global health security index was published, showing how prepared countries were to tackle a serious pandemic outbreak. The USA was ranked best out of 195 nations. Days before Trump’s inauguration, the Obama administration urged his team to get ready for a pandemic that could be the worst since 1918. Warning of possible ventilator shortages, it stressed the importance of a coordinated response. However, the Trump team, ignoring the advice, shut down the White House office devoted to pandemic preparedness set up by Obama. On 18 January health secretary Alex Azar, a practising Christian, warned Trump of potential danger from the virus, but Trump called him an ‘alarmist’, saying it was just one person coming in from China. See
Answered prayer for USA
02 Jul 2020
Two weeks ago we joined with American intercessors to pray for a tsunami of prayer to gain momentum and bring positive change in the USA (1 Samuel 2:1). This week we praise God for Holy Spirit changes taking place. For an encouraging video, go to. On it you will see a number of Christian groups holding revival services at the site where George Floyd died in Minneapolis. They are seeing many people turn to God, and miracles are happening in a revival that is reportedly spreading to other USA cities. Could this be an early indication of the promised Great Awakening that we are praying for?
A room with a pew
02 Jul 2020
Imagine being handed a key to an ancient church that is immersed in history and having the place to yourself for a whole weekend! This experience is now open to church campers or ‘champers’. Champing is a new trend in ‘spiritual tourism’ throughout the UK, where travellers have sleepovers in archaic buildings. First launched by the Churches Conservation Trust (CCT), which looks after over 300 redundant churches nationwide, it aims to offer a totally different visitor experience and also raise money to support the conservation of old places of worship. Champing churches are living time-capsules, with centuries of history to explore. Rugs are laid on stone floors and visitors sleep on mattresses. Portable lavatories and washbasins are available.