Pray for Zambia
What struggles are Zambians facing? How is God meeting those needs through Hands of Hope? How can we pray and intercede on their behalf?
Hands of Hope is a nonprofit that connects the USA to Zambia to provide means of God’s great transformation to children and families in desperate need through hearing the word of God, education, nutrition, and clean water. We have a Christian school for children who are orphaned or in extreme poverty in the capital city, Lusaka, as well as sponsorships for individual children in desperate need and Zambians seeking a college degree for God’s glory. We also have an outreach program in the bush in a place called Mumbwa, about 2 hours outside of Lusaka, where we have planted two churches and plan on building a Transformation Center. We do this because we believe that God loves all His children and we, as Christians, are called to love His children too.
As you read below, we ask that you take time to pray with us for our brothers and sisters in Zambia. As you pray, ask God if and how He is asking you to be a part of His mission in Zambia!
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:40
Poverty
Zambia is still one of the poorest countries in the world with 60 percent of the population living below the international poverty line and 40 percent of those people living in extreme poverty. With a fast-growing population and high youth unemployment rates, Zambia is still facing the challenge of widespread poverty.
Around 64 percent of Zambians live under $2 a day and people that are extremely poor live under $1.25 a day.
All of Hands of Hope’s mission areas create opportunities for individuals to be part of ending the cycle of poverty in Zambia. Through the work of Jesus, we believe that God is transforming Zambian communities into something beautiful and bright. We are honored to be a part of these communities and uplift them.
God, we believe you as Provider for our friends in Zambia. Stir in us a newfound compassion for those living in poverty and how we can help them. Bring people alongside them to provide resources for an opportunity to work and have income. Show Hands of Hope what and who you want us to see and step into. Bless the country’s economy- would you bring more job opportunities to Zambia? Bless the children who grow up in poverty- allow them to put their faith in what they need in You.
Babies
Fertility rates in Zambia are on the rise. Between 2013 and 2014, the reported fertility rate (births per woman) was 5.2 percent of children per woman. It is reported by the United Nations that Zambia’s population is projected to increase by 941 percent by the end of the century, making it the highest projected growth rate in Africa.
Hands of Hope believes in coming alongside mothers, widows, and the many children in Zambia who need support. With so many children, we aim to provide relief to those children who no longer have parents or support through education at Hands of Hope Trust School and support at home through child sponsorship. We meet with mothers and caretakers to continue encouraging transformation in them.
God, You are the Father of all. You are the God who sees us, and we know you see struggling mothers and caretakers and the babies they care for. We pray that you would bless them- that they would have enough food and water and safety in their surroundings. We pray that you would settle a knowing in them of You as Father. We pray You would continue Your great transformative work in them and to show them how to have a beautiful, whole family Your way.
Sanitation
In many areas, Zambia has an inadequate sewage system and many Zambians lack a proper toilet. According to National Public Radio (NPR), it is reported that about 6.6 million people in Zambia lack a proper toilet. The country has an acute sewage issue with pit latrines covering about 45 percent of Lusaka. When the pits are filled there are either emptied by the local authority or the owners just fill them up and construct new ones.
Approximately 2,000 children under the age of 5 die on a yearly basis due to contaminated water and poor toilets. In 2013, statistics showed that more than 3,500 new-born babies died of infections that were linked to unsanitary water in Zambia.
Hands of Hope Trust School filled the pit latrines at our school’s location and now only have flushing toilets. Our teachers and staff teach children how to use these toilets, believing that even this is life-saving transformation for the community.
Lord, you call us to life and life abundant. We ask you to continue working in the lives of Zambians, to have access to proper toilets. We ask you to protect their bodies and lungs as they come into contact with improper or inadequate sewage systems. Put people in leadership to truly improve this problem.
Access to Clean Water
It is estimated that 4.8 million people in Zambia do not have access to clean water and rely on rivers and lakes that are contaminated with feces. The contaminated water is used as drinking water and to cook food which leads to diarrhea and cholera.
Both Hands of Hope Trust School and our outreach program in the Mumbwa have wells on-site at our locations that we, as a nonprofit, own. Both sites provide water to the communities we specifically serve, as well as the surrounding communities that come to make use of the wells.
God, we thank you for the amazing access our friends have to clean water. It only happened by Your faithfulness! We know that not everyone has this access, and we pray that there would be more wells with clean water provided to those who need it in Zambia.
Child Marriage
29% of Zambian girls are married before their 18th birthday and 5% are married before the age of 15.
One of the best ways to keep young girls out of early marriages is to keep them in school and out of always being at home. When a girl is idle at home, it’s more likely that orphans or families in need will let their young girls be married at young ages. We provide opportunities for girls to be in school at Hands of Hope Trust School.
Our Father, we speak against the enemy and against child marriage. God, we pray that young girls throughout Zambia would feel Your presence, Your nearness to them, and see another way. God, would you speak to the families they are with, and settle in them to see them successful rather than be married at an early age.
Hunger
Zambia, like many other African countries, has been battling the challenge of hunger for many decades. About 1.12 million children under the age of 5 in Zambia suffer from chronic malnutrition. Furthermore, there is about 60 percent prevalence of anemia among young children in Zambia.
Hands of Hope’s child sponsorship program’s majority of funds go to children being given monthly food distributions for them and their families. The rest of those funds go towards the child’s education to be in school.
Thank you, Jesus, for the gift of food. We pray that You would continue to work in the land and grow food that is plentiful for our friends in Zambia. We pray that you would provide means for food to the people of Zambia, and that we would see a transformation via full bellies of children and adults in need.
Disease
HIV is the leading cause of death in Zambia, and Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death among people living with HIV. It is estimated that 10.8% of the population between ages 15-49 are HIV+, and that as of 2021 there were 620,000 children orphaned due to AIDS deaths.
Malaria is also a leading cause of death and disease in many countries, with young children and pregnant women as the most affected groups.
At Hands of Hope, some of our sponsored children and students that go to Hands of Hope School are HIV positive, have experienced diseases such as these, or have caretakers struggling with these diseases. They are fully supported, counseled, assisted, and given discretion in their condition.
God, we ask that you continue to bless and work in the lives of our friends who are living with disease. Build their faith in You, believing that You are healer and provider. Put help along their path to continue healing their body. Let us be a force of ending the spread of such awful diseases, and a great comfort to those who are dealing with this affliction. Let the knowing of You be the greatest joy of the lives of those who struggle in this.
Access to Education
Access to education in Zambia has increased rapidly. However, the quality of education is still severely lacking. There is still only 78.6% of children in Lusaka (the capitol city) that complete grade 7, and lower percentages for young girls.
In total 28% of 15-24 year olds have not completed primary education (grade 7) in Zambia.
For children of primary school age in Zambia, the biggest disparity can be seen between the poorest and the richest children. 25% of Zambia’s poorest children between ages 7-13 are not attending school.
At Hands of Hope Trust School, we give free, quality education to all orphans who attend our school, as well as providing a daily meal, counseling, and extra resources when available.
God, we know that you have created Hands of Hope Trust School to meet the education needs in Zambia. We pray over every child, that they would find and continue having access to school. We pray for their minds to be open to the knowledge that they receive in school, and that they are blessed with the ability to pay attention and intake information easily. We pray for the teachers of Zambia- especially those serving children in poverty- we ask that you would provide adequate pay, professional development opportunities, and give them your faith and resilience to keep going with their students. Bless the classrooms students walk in, and we pray over school administration and those that make education decisions for Zambia- would you show them the way? We also pray over the quality of education- motivate and inspire educators to strive for excellence in the classroom. We thank you for working in powerful ways through classrooms in Zambia.
We pray that this blessed you with insight into struggles our Zambian friends are facing and action steps you can take.
If you feel God is calling you to get involved in one or more of these areas, please come to our Gala on March 16! You will hear of lots of ways to get involved in our mission!
Purchase tickets at handsofhopeus.com/gala
