July 2023 Prayer Guide: our Care & Justice project in Zambia
Throughout July, we are asking if you would kindly pray for our new Care and Justice project in Zambia serving child victims of sexual assault there. In particular, for two girls who we have recently taken in to our residential facilities at Lusaka for care, see below. (We were only able to do this thanks to so many of you who kindly gave to our appeal last year).
Please pray for Thandiwe*
Thandiwe* is a well-spoken and educated young lady from a rural part of Zambia. Tragically, she was raped in her village aged only 15. As it was unsafe for her to be at home, she was referred to us already 2-3 months pregnant as a result of the assault.
Heartbroken, she said to her Kids Alive caseworker “I wish I could die. This world is too cruel to live in.”
Ashamed, broken and traumatised, she even ran away from our facility, which as a 16 year old she is entitled to do.
Her caseworker persuaded her to come back, which she did. With a lot of love, prayer and Christian counselling over the next few months, her life has been transformed. She wants to keep the baby and is really positive about the future.
“I am so grateful to Kids Alive and the support they gave me at a time when I was so traumatised. Today I can walk with my head held high. God has helped me so much.”
It was deeply moving talking to her caseworker when we were given this update: “When I see the smile on the face of this precious girl, I realise God has worked wonders in her life. Only He could do this.”
Please pray for Thandiwe that she would continue to flourish, that she will have a healthy pregnancy, and that God will bless her as we try to integrate her back into a loving family.
*Name changed to protect privacy
Please pray for Beatrice*
With no mother around, 15 year old Beatrice had been regularly abused by her father. When he left her and her two younger brothers to fend for themselves, she started selling her body to try and earn some money to care for them.
When the authorities became aware of their plight, she and her brothers were referred to us.
As with Thandiwe, it was too dangerous for them to stay at home and so they are now at our Chikondi residential facility for a short while.
Progress was initially painfully slow, with all three children being extremely withdrawn.
Again, with a lot of love, prayer and care, they slowly but surely started to open up and were even able to receive some counselling and specialist trauma care. There’s still a long way to go, but we have seen tremendous progress, with all three well enough to be enrolled in a local school.
They are doing well there and appreciating the additional learning support our team give them to help them catch up on their studies.
Please pray for Beatrice and her brothers. That they would continue to open up and be healed emotionally, especially Beatrice. That they would continue to flourish. And that our team will be able to find them a loving and safe home.
*Name changed to protect privacy
Please also pray for our new pilot project which we hope will address the endemic issue of child sexual abuse, especially prevalent in certain areas of Zambia. That God would continue to guide our staff as they forge partnerships with other like-minded organisations and work hard to influence the local communities, authorities and national government.
Thank you so much and God bless you!
2022 - A Year in Review
In Zambia, when the police arrest a mother of a child under five for non-violent crimes, she's allowed to bring the child to prison for nuturing, but the conditions are horrible. Through the Babies in Prison programme, we advocate for special care and healing justice for this population.
We also launched an effort to reach out to people who have graduated from our programmes to ensure they have continued support for success, providing them with daily essentials and helping them develop marketable work skills. Our village, Care Centre and the Kids Alive Academy served over 600 children, providing nutrition, spiritual support, counselling, and educational assistance, including school supplies, tutoring, and tuition.
And last but by no means least, we have recently launched a pilot 'Care and Justice' project to serve child victims of sexual abuse, which our recent research showed is tragically endemic in Zambia.
“I love Zambia because it’s a peaceful Christian nation, and Kids Alive’s holistic care enables the children to rise above the challenges they face, ensuring an even brighter future for Zambia.”
Safeli Mwaba, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer – Kids Alive Zambia
“One Zambia, One Nation”
Formerly known as Northern Rhodesia, this beautiful country took the name Zambia upon gaining independence from the British in 1964.
The name is derived from the Zambezi River, meaning Great River, which forms the country’s southern border.
The Republic of Zambia is more than three times the size of the UK, populated by over 19.6 million people speaking over 70 dialects. Zambia’s official motto is carved on its coat of arms: “One Zambia, One Nation.”
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" Psalm 147:3
Posted on June 21st 2023
Postal address: Kids Alive International, PO Box 1529, Stamford, PE2 2YD.
Registered address: Kids Alive International, 12 Greenhill Rents, London, EC1M 6BN
Telephone: 07873 550968 | Registered Charity: 1140641 (England & Wales)
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