bolivia prayer calendar - Food for the Hungry

Pray that God would guide President Juan Evo Morales Aiva to lead wisely. A proponent of socialism, Morales also is the leader of Bolivia’s cocalero movement – a group of coca farmers resistant to the United States’ efforts to eliminate coca (used to make cocaine) from the southeastern province of Chapare.
Pray that national leaders would grapple courageously with the economic inequalities and social ills of the Amerindian majority who have long been mired in poverty and marginalized from the political process.

Praise God that the number of evangelical Christians is growing and that they are becoming increasingly influential.
Pray also that this group of Christians would work with unity and continued commitment to prayer and outreach to transform Bolivia. Pray that the goal of 30 percent of the population being evangelical by 2010 will be reached.
Pray that God would meet the needs of the many growing churches in the country. Churches are growing in Bolivia—that’s the good news. But with growing churches come growing needs and challenges. Illiteracy is a big problem in this landlocked country, as are lack of understanding of basic Christian doctrines. Pray that God would visit the country with revival.

Pray that God would work through education, health care, the church and government to help implement social and economic changes to lift Bolivians out of poverty. Bolivia has long been one of the poorest countries in South America, with high unemployment figures and nearly six of every ten Bolivians living in poverty.
Pray that Bolivian families would steer clear of drugs and the drug trade. Fully half the world’s cocaine is produced in Bolivia. The growing of coca and manufacture of cocaine is big business, and many Bolivians work in trade. Poor roads and long distances to markets make alternate agricultural products far more difficult. Pray for those Bolivian believers who have been compromised by the drug business and for those who have resisted the business and have suffered in consequence.
Pray for children and youth. Over 80 percent of the children in Bolivia live in extreme poverty; 100,000 of the kids under 14 in urban areas have to work, and 80,000 are addicted to drugs. As for the youth, over half the population is under 19, and through an intensifying generation gap are growing more and more distant from their parents. Pray that churches and other Christian groups would dedicate themselves to alleviating the poverty and discipling these young persons.

Pray that God protect Food for the Hungry staff in the country. The troubles over natural-gas exportation have underlined how vulnerable the staff in Bolivia is. Pray that God would grant them safety, and that He would provide them with wisdom and compassion as well.
Pray that God would use our child development program in the country to reach out to the poor and hurting. The communities, with a little over 1,900 sponsored children, are being strengthened through biblically-based parental counseling, administration of medical check-ups, provision of school supplies for sponsored children, and family home visits. Children are learning skills to help mold them into future leaders.
Pray that God would increase the effectiveness of our community initiatives such as agriculture development, natural resources management, education and health care.