1. Project Hannah’s Women of Hope producers of the Bambara, English, and French programs heard in West Africa. Pray for wisdom and strength for Ann Seri, assistant regional coordinator for West Africa, and for Abdoulaye Sangho, TWR’s West Africa ministry director.

2. Wisdom for Ruth Mbennah, Project Hannah’s regional coordinator for Africa, as she gives direction, raises fi nances, trains and encourages women in these countries, and determines what new ministries can be supported with limited resources.

3. Women in West Africa who are struggling to provide for their families with few resources, little education, and almost no help from their extended families or communities. Pray that Christians would help women and girls understand how precious they are to God, recognizing the dignity and empowerment he offers them through a new life in Christ.

4. The Lord’s blessings on Karl and Gayle Reuther, who fi nancially support Project Hannah’s ministry in Liberia. Pray for Esther Bomosy, coordinator there, who encourages 60 prayer group leaders and more than 1,000 intercessors through her tireless efforts at organizing seminars, prayer breakfasts, and other events so that women become better equipped to serve the Lord in all areas of their lives.

5. God to continue to use Women of Hope programs to impact thousands of Liberians twice weekly with words of encouragement on Radio ELWA and Gbarnga Radio. Pray for the women who continue to minister to about 30 female inmates and about 35 juveniles in prison.

6. Women and girls who continue to be vulnerable to HIV infection, gender-related violence, poverty, and limited access to education and health services. “Women and girls represent about 60% of the people living with HIV in Liberia” (UNAIDS).

7. Leaders to address West Africa’s shortage of

World news has recently focused on the Ebola virus in Guinea and the almost 300 kidnapped schoolgirls in Nigeria, but we hear very little about the daily struggles of people in West Africa.

The women of West Africa bear the brunt of economic hardships as they try to provide for their families in some of the world’s poorest nations. Many women are easily seduced by men and then abandoned to care for their children alone. Cultural practices of female genital cutting and child marriages, coupled with limited health care, cause high rates of maternal death. Many of those who survive their pregnancies suffer from the debilitating problem of obstetric fistula.

Preventable or easily treatable diseases (malaria, diarrhea and respiratory infections) remain the main killers of women and children. Other deaths are caused by HIV/AIDS, malnutrition, poor hygiene, and lack of access to safe water and adequate sanitation.

Spiritual darkness grips the people of West Africa in fear and bondage to fetishes, voodoo, witch doctors, and controlling cultural and religious practices. Limited education has further darkened the lives of West Africa’s unreached people groups and oral cultures, making it difficult to reach them with the gospel of Christ. Christian radio broadcasts reach into their darkness and offer hope.

Project Hannah’s Women of Hope program offers lifesaving advice, love, and hope through Jesus Christ. Women of Hope can be heard in West Africa in English (Liberia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone); Bambara (Mali); and French (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, and Togo). Pray for these listeners and for finances to begin airing in other West African countries.

Praying for

WOMEN

Prayer CalendarJuly 2014

and almost no help from their extended families or communities. Pray that Christians would help women and girls understand how precious they are to God, recognizing the dignity and empowerment he offers them

4. The Lord’s blessings on Karl and Gayle Reuther, who fi nancially support Project Hannah’s ministry in Liberia. Pray for Esther Bomosy, coordinator there, who encourages 60 prayer group leaders and more than 1,000 intercessors through her tireless efforts at organizing seminars, prayer breakfasts, and other events so that women become better equipped to serve the Lord in all

Women of Hope programs to Women of Hope programs to Women of Hopeimpact thousands of Liberians twice weekly with words of encouragement on Radio ELWA and Gbarnga Radio. Pray for the women who continue to minister to about 30 female inmates and about 35 juveniles in prison.

6. Women and girls who continue to be vulnerable to HIV infection, gender-related violence, poverty, and limited access to education and health services. “Women and girls represent about 60% of the people living with

PL E A S E P R A Y F O R . . .

P R O J E C T H A N N A H

WWWWorld news has recently focused on the Ebola WWorld news has recently focused on the Ebola virus in Guinea and the almost 300 kidnapped Wvirus in Guinea and the almost 300 kidnapped

midwives. This shortage contributes to pregnancy-related complications, fi stulas, and deaths.

8. Listeners of the Benin broadcasts of the English Women of Hope program in Liberia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. A listener from Nigeria’s National Orthopedic Hospital wrote: “I am highly delighted that such a program, Women of Hope, is aired through your radio station. I must confess that these programs are life transformers and have been very encouraging, motivating and have helped improve my spiritual life. I recall some of the programs of Women of Hope on topics like taking care of the geriatric, learning how to manage cancer, how to keep your spouse, choosing a partner, preparing for your marriage, and many others. Thank you very much for these topics.”

9. Kim Kargbo, founder of Women of Hope International, who works in one of the poorest countries in the world helping disabled women shunned by society and often reduced to begging or sexual exploitation to feed their children. Kim is interested in partnering with Project Hannah’s ministry in Sierra Leone, encouraging women to pray and exploring ways to provide Women of Hope programs in English and Krio in the future. Pray for the many disabled women to fi nd hope, dignity, personal safety, acceptance, and love in a country that believes they are cursed by God.

10. Sierra Leone, where about two-thirds of the adult population is illiterate (Human Development Index). Radio is very popular and trusted in Sierra Leone. “Access to radio is high (over 80% of people have access to radio), and the majority of those with access report listening to the radio every day or almost every day” (http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/trust/pdf/media_report_2007.pdf).

11. Mothers in Sierra Leone to learn the harm emotionally and physically that their daughters face if they continue the cultural practice of female genital mutilation, which is common.

in

1. Project Hannah’s

WOMEN

P

Women of Hope broadcasts in more than 60 languages. PH’s monthly prayer requests are used in 79 languages.

WEST AFRICA

12. Christian groups providing income-generating activities, such as farming and soap-making, to help keep children in school and help build better schools and provide trained teachers.

13. Fabienne Aboua, Project Hannah’s Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) coordinator. Pray also for Florence, Prisca, and Marie Laure as they assist with the French Women of Hope production. Pray for women in the growing number of prayer groups in which women are encouraged as they pray together and as they see God answer their prayers.

14. Finances to support the mercy ministries in the Ivory Coast helping women start small businesses and reaching out to women in prison. Pray for those helping others become aware of the needs of women by getting involved in community events.

16. Wisdom and strong faith for families raising their children to understand that God’s laws help them live healthy, productive lives that honor God and lead to a better future.

17. West African illiterate women with limited access to clean water to have opportunities to listen to Women of Hope programs and learn how to survive and live healthy lives. Pray that as they face life-threatening challenges, they would not fall prey to those who would abuse them.

18. Listeners of Project Hannah’s Women of Hope French program, which is broadcast from the Benin transmitter and heard in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, and Togo. Pray also that a shortwave license can be obtained so many more unreached people groups in Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Senegal, Guinea, and Mauritania can receive programming in their languages.

19. God’s wisdom for those serving in Benin as they make it possible to broadcast radio programs throughout West Africa. Pray for God’s protection on them and their children as they live with limited medical access where malaria, typhoid, yellow fever, and meningitis are concerns. Spiritual darkness from infl uences of other major world religions, charms, child slavery, and ritual sacrifi ce of children are also present in their neighborhood.

20. Wisdom and fi nances so that Project Hannah Ghana will be able to resume translation and distribution of the prayer calendars and production and broadcast of the Twi Women of Hope program.

21. The safety of those traveling in Ghana, as there are many murders and thefts on the roads. Pray also concerning the slow development of the country’s infrastructure even after the discovery of oil several years ago. Pray that leaders would use the fi nancial profi ts to benefi t the people and communities. A recent increase in fuel prices has affected every aspect of the nation’s economy, and the citizens of Ghana are hurting, especially the women who

bear the brunt of economic hardships (http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/feb/03/ghana-oil-money-development-gains).

22. Ghana’s specialized Domestic Violence Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) as it assists victims of domestic violence, especially women and children. In addition to its law-enforcement responsibilities, the unit can refer victims to medical providers and counselors, as well as to community support services (www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=13768).

23. Women throughout Africa who are praying for their husbands to have a saving relationship with God. Praise the Lord that husbands in Ghana who had abandoned their families have returned home and accepted their family responsibilities.

24. Church leaders to teach men to respect and protect women and girls. Pray for women and teenage girls to respect themselves and not allow men to seduce them, demanding instead that men treat them with dignity, marry them, and provide for their families.

25. Women to receive better health care in Burkina Faso, where the average woman gives birth to six children and has limited access to health services needed to ensure safe births. The maternal mortality rate is one of the highest in Africa.

26. Human and fi nancial resources so that women in Cameroon, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Guinea, Madagascar, Mauritania, Rwanda, and Senegal can also hear about God’s great love by listening to the French Women of Hope program.

27. Evelyn Barkman (Canadian missionary), Jeanne Dembélé (producer), Emma Ballo (medical adviser and presenter), and Becky Cochrane (translator) as they work together to encourage women in Mali to listen to

the Bambara Women of Hope program and to join Project Hannah prayer groups. Mali has extreme poverty and a very low literacy rate, so radio and similar media are needed for women who can’t read but have radios and cellphones on which they can hear the programs. Praise the Lord for the 22 radio stations airing Women of Hope in Mali.

28. Women to receive the health care they need and protection from harmful cultural practices in Mali. “Less than half of the country’s women give birth with skilled attendance, and female genital cutting affects approximately 92% of Mali’s women” (http://iwhp.sogc.org/index.php?page=mali&hl=en_US).

29. Project Hannah ministries in West Africa that are asking God to continue to change hearts for His glory. He is reaching down to the brokenhearted, the scared, the lonely, and the desperate. His great love invites women to receive His joy and peace no matter what their circumstances.

30. Women isolated by controlling cultural and fanatical religious beliefs hostile to the gospel. Many can hear about God’s love for them and his gift of salvation only through radio programs that reach into their homes and behind closed doors.

31. Leaders to do more to prevent spousal and child abuse. Pray for women who are abused and violated in their homes and are daily traumatized physically and emotionally. Pray for girls to be protected from child marriages.

P R O J E C T H A N N A H • P O B O X 8 7 0 0 , C A R Y, N C 2 7 5 1 2 - 8 7 0 0 • 1 . 8 0 0 . 4 5 6 . 7 8 9 7 • w w w . p r o j e c t h a n n a h . o r g

JULY 2014 PRAYING FOR WOMEN IN WEST AFRICA

Fabienne Aboua

15. The availability of vaccines, antibiotics, micronutrient supplements, insecticide-treated bed nets, improved breast-feeding practices, and adoption of safe hygiene practices to treat preventable diseases that kill children and women in the Ivory Coast. An estimated 87,000 children under the age of 5 die every year from preventable diseases and conditions (http://www.unicef.org/cotedivoire/health_nutrition_2415.html).

Jeanne Dembélé