Yahya Jammeh, the Gambia’s brutal former dictator, may soon lose his vast mansion in Maryland, in a much anticipated step by the US Department of Justice. He paid US$3.5 million for it in 2010 with funds stolen from the Gambian people. In 2017 he fled to Equatorial Guinea. In the short time since Jammeh was ousted from office, the country has shown progress in many critical areas. There are encouraging signs that the repression and violation of basic rights that marked Jammeh’s time in office are slowly being changed by a commitment to democratic norms, good governance, and the rule of law.

It can be difficult to know where to start when praying for a crisis as large as coronavirus. So Tearfund have created a simple helpful prayer guide for intercessors to use individually, with a group or with the church. To download this perceptive resource for praying for situations close to home and around the world click the ‘More’ button.

A year ago Boris Johnson promised to tackle the social care crisis. Age UK director Caroline Abrahams said the PM must honour this pledge, or thousands of elderly people will continue to suffer needlessly and the social care sector will never recover from the hammer blow caused by the pandemic. A huge petition, signed by 110,000 people, was handed in, to put pressure on him to deliver on his promise to provide the decent level of care the elderly deserve. Also the UK Home Care Association, which represents those providing home help, said that unless he acts the vulnerable will continue to receive rationed, underfunded services that are started too late to prevent independence deteriorating. When Mr Johnson became Prime Minister, he said his job was to protect people from the fear of having to sell their home to pay for care costs.

Wheels for the World restore and distribute refurbished wheelchairs to disabled people in developing countries, giving them independence and demonstrating the love of God. They send old wheelchairs to a workshop in one of their partner prisons for refurbishment. Prisoners find satisfaction in this work which helps restore their self-worth and dignity. Wheelchairs come back from the prison fully restored and are loaded into containers for shipping abroad. While in prison Chris was trained to repair wheelchairs and gained useful skills to help him find a career when released. One of the wheelchairs Chris refurbished to ‘good as new’ was shipped to Miriam in Uganda. She had paralysis in her legs and no physiotherapy or rehabilitation services available to her. She spent most of her time in bed and isolated. Now she can help her mother sell produce on their market stall, and can independently go out and make friends.