Pray with Kenya, March 6, 2022

Lectionary Selection: Luke 4:1-13

Prayers for Kenya

Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus to save us and to reconcile us to you. We would like to pray for the Kenyan people that their faith in you gives them peace and security knowing that God is their life insurance. God, help your people to trust you when they feel tempted and overwhelmed. Help them trust in your Word as Jesus did. To be your children, we recognize above all that our life comes from you, and we receive from you our subsistence. To be your children means trusting you as the Father. To be your children means to worship you alone, not expect salvation from another source. This is the meaning of our Lent: to remain turned towards you in trust and love.

Amen

Mission Stewardship Moment from Kenya

Last year, I conducted interviews with women and church leaders concerning maternal and child health as part of my work with the Organization of African Instituted Churches (OAIC). Participant observations revealed that women and children in the Kibera community experience maternal health challenges unlike other formal settlement areas, including maternal health. Lack of quality care and insufficient health care facilities have increased the challenge of sharing even the limited available health care facilities and resources

An overview of Kibera informal settlement taken during the empirical study 2021

The photo at right is an overview of the Kibera informal settlement. The dense population of the Kibera community with its informal structures is an indicator of the high level of poverty of the Kibera residents. This has a relationship with poor maternal health for women and children. This encompasses health issues related to water, food, and environmental sanitation, which are factors that affect maternal health the life of the women and children in this area. I inquired to know the effects of weather on the nature of the houses and the life of women and children. All the interviewees confirmed the devastating conditions of the houses. They affirmed unhealthy conditions during rainy seasons. I wanted to know the state of the river during the rainy season. All the interviewees agreed that heavy rains usually spill out to the houses.

The church leaders interviewed confirmed several cases of congregants suffering from water-related diseases. They confirmed the need to relook at the water problem in Kibera, which mostly affects women, who are the immediate caregivers to the families.

The photo at the right is representative of women who sell goods for their livelihood. Such businesses raise meager incomes for their house rent, food, clothing, medical costs, and care for their children. The woman shown in the photo with the interviewer is a widow. Her husband was a pastor but he died some years back. She is raising her four children as a single parent.

The grocery store shown belongs to her. All the basic needs depend on the revenue she gets from this business. From her story, the interviewer learned the need to empower women not only in Kibera but globally to enable them to earn a livelihood in a healthy manner. It is the view of the interviewer that maternal health can be improved by relooking and reworking the scale of empowering women in the community.

Please pray for God’s will to be done in Kenya during the election. Please pray also for the Kibera people, especially women and children.

Mission Partners in Kenya

More about Kenya

Global Ministries Mission Co-worker in Kenya
Brigitte Eale serves with the Organization of African Instituted Churches (OAIC) in Kenya. Her appointment is made possible by gifts to the Disciples Mission Fund, Our Church’s Wider Mission, and your special gifts.
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