When Audrey (Regional Support Team Leader, South Africa) was asked, “If you could ask people to pray for one thing in South Africa and Eswatini, what would it be?” she shared that we need to pray for justice. It is common for people who commit assault against the vulnerable to go free because they don’t have the resources available to them to get the help that they need. Pray for justice!
Day 28 - Care Workers and Primary Caregivers across South Africa and Eswatini (#40Days2024)
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. For your name’s sake, Lord, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble. - Psalm 143:10-11
In many communities in South Africa, Eswatini and across Africa, the Care Workers are also the Primary Caregivers of the children that they are serving. A Primary Caregiver is the mother, father, grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings or other relatives of the children coming to the Care Point.
• “One of the biggest things in South Africa for the Primary Caregivers is not having identity documents and the kids also don’t have documents. In South Africa, if you don’t have documents, you don’t have access to a lot of service delivery. You can’t get a house, you can’t get food, you can’t get a government grant. My prayer is that even though they don’t have documents, God can provide something for them to live.” (Audrey, Regional Support Team Leader, South Africa)
• “Pray for the Primary Caregivers in our community to be involved at the Care Point and able to understand the vision of Hands at work and know the Jesus we know.” (Mnelisi, Local Leader, Eswatini)
Gogo Rebecca* is a Primary Caregiver in Sommerset Community in South Africa. She cares for her three grandsons. Many families in South Africa have come from other countries, such as Mozambique, meaning that they don’t have identification documents. This limits their ability to access government services and to receive schooling. To support her family Rebecca farms, but life is still a struggle.
Audrey (Regional Support Team Leader, South Africa) shares: “She doesn’t just sit and fold hands and say, 'I'm vulnerable’. She has a farm she ploughs. Some years she didn't even have seeds to plant, so we managed to provide her seeds as Hands at Work so she can plant. But, again, the good thing with her is that after planting, after some years, she stops us to say, “don't ever give me seeds because the seeds that I'm harvesting I eat, grind some to have a mealie meal, and some I'm keeping for planting other years”. When she has challenges with the children, she goes to the Care Point. The prayer request that I have for Gogo Rebecca is to pray for God to keep her for these three grandchildren. She's very old, but she tries to work very hard. Pray that the grandchildren can help provide for the grandmother”.
Day 27 - Care Workers and Primary Caregivers across South Africa and Eswatini (#40Days2024)
In South Africa, there are 54 Care Workers and in Eswatini, there are 47 Care Workers who have committed to loving and caring for the most vulnerable children.
• “Many of the Care Workers are in abusive marriages or relationships. They are being abused physically, emotionally or even financially. They have to care for the children alone. Their husbands are not supporting them. They have so much responsibility while also being abused. Some Care Workers have shared that they would save money but the husband ends up taking that money and buying alcohol. Pray for God’s hand upon the situation.” (Pinky, Regional Support Team Leader, South Africa)
• Growing up, the Care Workers have experienced a lot of problems in their lives and have grown up with without healing. What we see today is what happened when they were young and they are not able to share. “Pray that they will trust the Service Centre and other Care Workers with their challenges. Pray for Relationship Groups to be a safe space where they can share challenges and heal together.” (Pinky, Regional Support Team Leader, South Africa)
• Pray for the Care Workers to have love and unity as they serve the children. “Pray that God will strengthen them in all they do for children.” (Mnelisi, Local Leader, Eswatini)
“My name is Dudu. I am married and have five children. I have been a Care Worker for three years and I became one because my own children were also being cared for at the Care Point. The best part of being a Care Worker is serving, because I was also broken and wounded.”
Day 26 - Children across South Africa and Eswatini (#40Days2024)
Within South Africa, there are 574 children being loved and cared for and in Eswatini, there are 389 children being loved and cared for. Today, we invite you to pray for children across South Africa and Eswatini:
• “We’ve seen abuse happening to our children. They get abused emotionally and physically, so we would like to bring that prayer request. Pray that God would raise His hand and intervene in this situation.
• One of the other common things you would find around our communities, is that most of our children feel rejected and abandoned. Many of the parents are still alive, but they have been left with their sick grandmothers. Pray against that spirit of rejection. Pray that people would know the importance of fending for their children, no matter how difficult life can be, and make sure that they play the role of parents to their children.” (Nontobeko, Local Leader, South Africa)
Timothy* is one of the 574 children across South Africa. He lives in the community of Welverdiend.
17-year-old Timothy* lives by himself after his sister moved away to live with her boyfriend. He was found by Care Workers in 2016, who visited his home and learned that he had no one to take care of him. Timothy needed food, toiletries, and school supplies. The Care Workers helped him with these practical things, but he also needed friends and family. By God’s grace, he found those at school and at the Care Point. Over time, Linky, his Care Worker, has bonded with him. Timothy opens up to her and tells her about his problems and needs. She listens to him and helps him as much as she can. She shows him kindness and compassion and treats him like her own son, giving him a sense of belonging and hope.
Timothy* is one of the 389 children across Eswatini. He lives in the community of Shoka.
Abram’s* experience of rejection started at 3 months old when his father fled to Mozambique despite having previously made promises to care for his family. Sadly, his mother struggles with a mental disability leaving her unable to effectively care for her son. This leaves Abram’s grandmother with the responsibility of caring for them. The only way the family survives is through farming, however, this is inconsistent and rarely provides enough. When Abram first began coming to the Care Point, he was quiet, withdrawn and did not know how to interact with the other children. As time has gone on and with the love and care of the Shoka CBO, he has grown in his confidence to play with the other children and build relationships with the Care Workers. Even Abram’s grandmother feels free to share her challenges with Care Worker Jabulile when she visits their home.
Day 24 - Meet the Hazyview and Oshoek Service Centres (#40Days2024)
Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”– Exodus 14:13-14
Across Africa, Hands at Work has local teams comprising of Christian men and women who have answered God’s calling on their lives to serve the most vulnerable. Each of these teams exists to encourage, challenge and support local volunteer Care Workers as they care for the most vulnerable children in the most broken and desperate communities across Africa. We call these teams Service Centres.
In the Hazyview Service Centre are: Angel, Audres, Eunice and Loneck, Prudence, Thembi and Virginia. They serve four of the most vulnerable communities across Africa.
• “Please pray for us as a team that God will give us strength and wisdom as we are caring for our children. Pray we will continue to make it personal when our children have challenges and to act even if it costs us.
• Please pray for us as, this year, we are focusing on our Primary Caregivers. Pray that we will dig deeper into our Bible so that we can share the good news with them so that they will know the Jesus we know.” (Virginia, Local Leader, South Africa)
In the Oshoek Service Centre are: Anita, Jacob, Nokthula, Nontobeko, Penelope and Senzo. They serve seven of the most vulnerable communities across Africa.
• “Pray for us as a team to always stick the Watchword on our foreheads as we start the new year in whatever situation we may come across. Pray that we will grow in unity and in one spirit as a team as we continue serving.” (Nontobecko, Local Leader, South Africa)
Day 23 - Welcome to South Africa (#40Days2024)
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
- 1 Thessalonions 5:16-18
South Africa is one of eight countries Hands at Work is serving in across Africa. South Africa has a population of 60,473,211 people, with 22% of the population living in extreme poverty. Ranking 109 out of 187 on the Human Development Index, there are 230,000 children living with HIV/AIDS and 720,000 children who have been orphaned because of this life-threatening illness.
–Sources: UNAID, UNDP, World Poverty Clock
As we start the week, please join us in praying for the country of South Africa:
• This year, we are going to have elections as a country, so there will be lots of division. There are political parties that are starting and will take advantage of the most vulnerable by making promises and making them do odd jobs. There is so much corruption in South African politics. We can pray for our children to be safe during this time, not to be taken advantage of and to not get involved in those politics because it is so easy to get involved.
• We can pray for the schools in South Africa. Pinky, one of the leaders, told us of schools in the area that have closed due to unusual and disturbing behaviour in some of the children. Some children had collapsed, others were convulsing, speaking and falling in worrying ways. “There are many spiritual attacks. In one of the schools, they opened for a week, and then they had to close. People will try to take advantage of the situation and even make money from it as they offer to “help.” We can pray for the protection of the children in schools because it is disturbing them, and some are scared to go back to school. Pray that they will have the courage to return”. (Pinky, Regional Support Team Leader, South Africa)