Omba4Kenya: Growing Numbers and Growing Need for Prayer

In the last ten days you have been asked to pray for Kenyan students needing places in high school and for the drought situation in the country. The front page of yesterday’s and today’s Daily Nation give new information with increased numbers of those affected by both problems – increases which require increased prayer!

“200,000 to miss places in public secondary schools” (Daily Nation, 12/31/08, p.13) led to a prayer request on January 1st for the selection by Kenyan high schools of those offered places in new Form One classes. “Why fewer students will join Form One” on the front page of yesterday’s Daily Nation, gave this bad news: “Nearly 50,000 places for Form One students have been lost because classrooms and other school facilities were destroyed during last year’s post-election violence … situation … made worse by an acute shortage of teachers.” The corrected number of affected students is “about 250,000 without places in secondary schools … pushed the population of Standard Eight leavers currently without access to secondary school education to about 2.3 million.’ Pray for those making decisions about school admission. Pray that the best and most deserving students are accepted. Pray that Kenyans will respond to the need of many worthy students who lack needed finances even if they are offered places. Pray also for the kids who are facing a future with no further educational opportunities.

“2m risk starving as drought bites” (Daily Nation, 1/6/09) shared in last Monday’s prayer item was updated in today’s Saturday Nation. “Emergency as 10m face starvation” states that “One in every three Kenyans is in danger of starvation due to crop failure … The 10 million Kenyans who are suffering food shortages include 1.5 million children under the school feeding programme … partly causes by the post-election violence last year … Maize harvested … should be entering the national food chain from this month, but because of the disruption of ploughing, the burning of food in stores and the fact that people were prevented from planting during the violence last year …contributed to the shortage. Added to this, the crucial long rains (March-May*) were inadequate in most places and the short rains (October-November*) failed altogether in some districts … Most parts of the country … experiencing food and water shortages … Of the 10 million Kenyans facing starvation, three million are in arid and semi-arid areas (pastoral areas where most of the people are among the people groups unreached by the Gospel*), two million are poor and affected by the HIV and Aids, while three million live in slums (includes many employed people but with incomes too low to provide food and other basic necessities even in normal times*) and the outskirts of towns … 150,000 internal refugees were also affected by the food shortage.”

As you pray for food, water, medical care, etc, for those facing starvation, pray that government leaders will make wise decisions. Some of the early actions appear to be poorly planned and include restrictions that are limiting response by businessmen and other partners. Pray that the decisions/plans will not be to the benefit of a few who desire to profit from the problems of others in the country. Pray that Christians who are affected by the drought and those ministering to them will be bold ambassadors of their heavenly Father, the one they depend upon for not just their daily bread, but for His love and salvation.” Bert Yates
*I have added explanations to the quotes in italics to help you prayer more effectively.
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“Why fewer students will join Form One” (Daily Nation, 1/9/09, pp. 1,4) – http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/512242/-/u18940/-/index.html