THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO THE WAR THE WORLD FORGOT But God has not forgotten the DRC nor must we. 1 DRC PRAYER GUIDE
INTRODUCTION: JOIN US IN PRAYER The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a vast country similar in size to Western Europe, with immense natural resources such as diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt and zinc. However, it has also been at the centre of what has been called Africa s world war, from 1998 to 2003, in which millions died. Today the country s eastern regions remain volatile despite various peace agreements. Ordinary people families, workers, children have been hardest hit. Poor people struggling through their daily lives are under constant threat of violence. Innocent people are often attacked or killed and forced to leave their homes and possessions and live in camps or the bush. Despite this, the people of the DRC have shown amazing strength, resilience and dignity. As a result of the ongoing violence in the east more than 3 million people were forced to abandon their homes between May 2012 to May 2013. Today people continue to flee many to escape widespread sexual violence with women and children often the first victims. Yet the immense suffering continues to be overlooked by the world s media. We know God has not forgotten the people of the DRC and we must show them we haven t forgotten them either. Please join with us in prayer to remember and lift before God the people of the DRC, asking for Christ s love and compassion to be with them at all times, especially when they are suffering. Planting beans in fields around the internally displaced camp, Kirotshe Photo: Richard Hanson 2 DRC PRAYER GUIDE
HOW TO USE THIS PRAYER GUIDE: The deadliest conflict since the Second World War yet forgotten. But God has not forgotten the DRC nor must we. This prayer guide is based on not forgetting highlighting seven key issues in relation to the DRC, so we can bring our prayers and petitions to God, for healing and restoration to come to people s lives and to the entire nation. We include stories, prayer points and creative ideas to help you reflect and pray on your own or with others. This is your opportunity to set aside seven days to pray specifically for the DRC over the coming months, using this guide you can choose how and when you would like to pray. PRAYING ALONE? We have daily suggestions for how you can reflect and pray. PRAYING WITH OTHERS? Consider adapting the materials below in your regular church prayer gathering or small group. You might like to organise a special one-off prayer meeting for the DRC. We would love to know how you get on please send an email to prayer.coordinator@tearfund.org with your feedback. Thank you for joining us in prayer. Photo: Eleanor Bentall/Tearfund 3 DRC PRAYER GUIDE
1. DON T FORGET THE CONGOLESE PEOPLE When you feel overwhelmed, what keeps you going? It is the word of God and prayers. Arivera, a 41-year-old Congolese farmer REFLECT: The biggest impact of the conflict in eastern DRC is on ordinary people men, women and children, families and communities who are trying to build their lives but live under the constant threat of violence. This violence often results in people being attacked or losing loved ones. Many have been forced to leave their homes and possessions to go on the run, either into the bush or to camps. But despite the unimaginable horrors the Congolese people are experiencing, they show incredible strength, resilience and dignity. Mother of four Habiba, aged 22, lives in a village in Fizi Territory, eastern DRC. Earlier this year she escaped with her husband when her village was attacked. It was chaos. Everyone fled in different directions, she says. There was no time to take anything: Habiba and her husband gathered their small children and ran into the bush. Their life was very hard they had no food or shelter, so they were extremely cold at night. Two of their children caught malaria, as they couldn t take their mosquito nets with them. Habiba began to worry that they were also suffering from malnutrition they had to survive on wild fruits and roots. It was three terrifying months before they heard news that the village was safe and they could return home. Habiba and her family Photo: Corrie Sissons/Tearfund 4 DRC PRAYER GUIDE
ARISE, LORD! LIFT UP YOUR HAND, O GOD. DO NOT FORGET THE AFFLICTED. (Psalm 10:12) PRAY: Please pray for the thousands of recently displaced people, who are often on the run for the second or third time, having to flee their homes and leave their possessions. Pray for protection as they try to live in insecure camps, that they will feel the presence of the Prince of Peace and that conditions will improve. Pray for God s presence and protection over homeless, hungry, sick and injured people, and victims of rape and violence. Pray for women and children who are being specifically targeted in this conflict. CREATIVE PRAYER IDEA: Do you know someone who is in their 20s, like Habiba? A family member, work colleague, neighbour or friend? As you recall their face, remember people such as Habiba who are of a similar age and suffering such hardships. Praise God for the strength she and her family demonstrated and pray through Psalm 10:12 for others like her who have been affected by conflict. ACT: Think of people in your own community who do not have the security of a stable home, who may live in fear of violence or who are not sure where their next meal will come from. How can you and your church help to bring hope and stability? Photo: Clive Mear/Tearfund 5 DRC PRAYER GUIDE
2. DON T FORGET THE ONGOING CONFLICT AND THE INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE BUT GOD WILL NEVER FORGET THE NEEDY; THE HOPE OF THE AFFLICTED WILL NEVER PERISH. (PSALM 9:18) We pray for peace because without that we can t do anything. Nyange, a farmer with a family of six in Bikuchu, eastern DRC REFLECT: The DRC is often described as a post-conflict context, but the reality is far more complex. There are even burgeoning conflicts in areas of the country that were thought to have become more stable. These conflicts are often caused by tensions arising from ethnic and national identity, land tenure, mineral resources, foreign armed groups and regional interests and actions. A large number of international NGOs work in the DRC, as well as UN agencies, supported by donors including the UK, the US and the EU. It also hosts the world s largest peacekeeping operation the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) and is starting to host a new UN intervention brigade. PRAY: Pray that deep, true and lasting peace and security will reign in the DRC. Pray for strength and patience for the people of the DRC as they hope for peace to come. Pray that people won t be tempted to try to take justice into their own hands. Please pray that all those who have taken up arms to fight will in due course lay them down and seek peace. Pray that the Prince of Peace will make himself known to them and that they will act with restraint, compassion, respect for human life and justice as they encounter civilians. Pray that there will continue to be fruitful and fair negotiations between the government and other parties. And ask that their hearts will be transformed so that justice and peace will overwhelm abuse and revenge. Pray for the international response to the crisis in the DRC, that there will be continued political interest and an adequate response to the humanitarian situation in the east of the country. Pray particularly for the UN intervention brigade, that it will act with integrity and justice, protect lives and be able to change the situation for the better. Pray also for wisdom and integrity for MONUSCO as it continues to operate. ACT / CREATIVE PRAYER: Pick up a national newspaper or search on the internet for coverage of the DRC over the last 24 hours. If you find something relevant in the newspaper, write your prayer on the article. If the information is online, print it highlight relevant words to focus your prayers. Use some of the Bible verses from this guide to help you as you pray. Internally displaced people camp Nzulo, Goma. Photo: Richard Hanson/Tearfund 6 DRC PRAYER GUIDE
3. DON T FORGET THOSE IMPACTED BY SEXUAL VIOLENCE Only last month our village was attacked my wife was raped. Simon, 31, a pastor in a church in eastern DRC, March 2013 GOD IS NOT UNJUST; HE WILL NOT FORGET YOUR WORK AND THE LOVE YOU HAVE SHOWN HIM AS YOU HAVE HELPED HIS PEOPLE AND CONTINUE TO HELP THEM. (HEBREWS 6:10) REFLECT: During the conflict abuse of women has escalated, making the DRC one of the worst places in the world for a woman to live. According to the American Journal of Public Health (published June 2011), 48 women every hour are raped in the DRC. These are atrocious crimes, and each victim should receive help and support. Tearfund partner HEAL Africa runs a hospital in Goma, where staff work around the clock to provide medical care to victims of sexual violence as well as providing more long-term support to vulnerable women. They are a shining, tangible example of God s love tenacious and powerful even in the darkest situations. Victims of sexual violence need medical care, trauma therapy and prayer. They also need to learn new skills so they can rebuild their lives. PRAY: Pray that God will comfort and bring healing to women who have suffered abuse, and ask that they may be given strength and protection to speak out. Praise God for the work of Tearfund and our partners HEAL Africa and Programme de Promotion des Soins de Santé Primaires who work among families displaced by the conflict and with victims of sexual violence. Pray for staff as they continue to help people who are most in need. Pray that the perpetrators will be brought to justice. CREATIVE PRAYER IDEA: Be an encourager: send an email to prayer.coordinator@tearfund.org with words, verses or pictures you have from your times of prayer, so we can forward them to our partner HEAL Africa for encouragement and inspiration as they work with victims of sexual violence. ACT: Share your commitment to seeing an end to sexual violence by joining the We Will Speak Out coalition. Visit www.wewillspeakout.org/pledge to find out more. A patient at HEAL Africa hospital. Photo: Richard Hanson/Tearfund 7 DRC PRAYER GUIDE
4. DON T FORGET THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH The church contributes to our internal healing, says a survivor of sexual violence. THE LORD HIMSELF GOES BEFORE YOU AND WILL BE WITH YOU; HE WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU. DO NOT BE AFRAID; DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED. (DEUTERONOMY 31:8) REFLECT: In the DRC lack of access to safe water, sanitation and healthcare is compounded by humidity and high rainfall an ideal breeding ground for epidemics while barely useable roads cause food surpluses to rot and push up imported food costs. Amid these huge challenges, the church has been recognised by the DRC s government as being effective and able to reach marginalised communities with support. Tearfund is currently working with the church and other Christian organisations in the areas of water and sanitation, food security, church and community mobilisation, sexual violence, HIV and child protection. The church is crucial in the response to the crisis of sexual violence helping to transform the lives of women, girls, boys and men. Tearfund is supporting churches to act together with their communities and governments to help bring about an end to the outrage and suffering of sexual violence in the DRC. We want to pray for them and support them to take a lead in speaking out on sexual violence and helping survivors. PRAY: Pray that churches in the DRC will show leadership in the 4 fight against poverty and challenge the prevalence of sexual violence in Congolese communities. Pray that local churches will be equipped to be people who demonstrate compassion and care for those in need particularly people affected by sexual violence. Pray that aid agencies, governments and donors will recognise the potential of the church and work together to support them to help their communities. Pray that more churches in the UK and beyond will feel called to pray for and support suffering people in the DRC, so that lives will be saved and improved in the future. ACT: Talk to your church leader about how your church can be more active and involved with needy people in your community, and how you can support, through prayer and action, churches doing the same in the DRC. To find out how your church can give to support vulnerable families in the DRC, visit www.tearfund.org/forgotten Pastor Samuel Mayele of Heal Africa. Photo: Geoff Crawford /Tearfund 8 DRC PRAYER GUIDE
C.A.R. S. SUDAN CAMER. CONGO DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO MANIEMA NORTH KIVU UVIRA BARAKA UG. RW. BUR. TANZ. 5. DON T FORGET THE ROLE OF SURROUNDING COUNTRIES ANGOLA ZAMBIA IF IT IS POSSIBLE, AS FAR AS IT DEPENDS ON YOU, LIVE AT PEACE WITH EVERYONE. (ROMANS 12:18) We pray for peace because Congolese believe that despite the long years of suffering, peace is achievable. Christine Karumba, Tearfund Deputy Country Director in the DRC REFLECT: The DRC has many neighbours, bordering the Central African Republic and South Sudan to the north, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi in the east, Zambia and Angola to the south, the Republic of the Congo and the Angolan exclave of Cabinda to the west, and is separated from Tanzania by Lake Tanganyika in the east. Relationships with its neighbours over the years have been strained as conflict has been fought between many of them over resources, land and other political issues. PRAY: Please pray for leaders of the DRC s neighbouring nations such as Rwanda and Uganda, that they will encourage peaceful and understanding relationships and actions with the DRC. Pray that those who wish to exacerbate division and prey on differences will have their hearts and lives transformed as Paul s was (see Acts 9:1-19) and will instead become leaders of unity. ACT AND CREATIVE PRAYER IDEA: Find and print a map of the DRC that shows the surrounding countries and use it to pray into these countries. Pray for each nation individually in relation to its interaction with the DRC, using the above prayer points as a guide. 9 DRC PRAYER GUIDE
6. DON T FORGET THE NEED FOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND GOOD GOVERNANCE We also pray that our government would have love for their nation. Nyange, a farmer with a family of six in Bikuchu, eastern DRC REFLECT: As well as praying for an end to the conflict in eastern DRC our prayer is that the country as a whole has good governance, a respect for human rights which is enshrined in law, and a reformed security sector. Congolese citizens desire to hold their government in high regard but, because of constrained state capacity, they have had to rely on themselves. Fatuma is a mother of nine living in Fizi Territory, eastern DRC. Despite being displaced from her village by fighting earlier this year, she is now back and is taking part in a Tearfund-supported scheme to repair the road that goes through her village. Fatuma recognises the importance of roads: When it is finished it will help us to transport our harvests from our village to sell in town, she says. The little money we get for working on the road will help us to get food, soap, medication for the children. If they get sick we can get them to hospital, rather than just taking them to the local health centre. The road will also help traders to come to our village with their merchandise. Fatuma from Tearfund / Photo: Corrie Sissons/Tearfund 10 DRC PRAYER GUIDE
I URGE, THEN, FIRST OF ALL, THAT PETITIONS, PRAYERS, INTERCESSION AND THANKSGIVING BE MADE FOR ALL PEOPLE FOR KINGS AND ALL THOSE IN AUTHORITY (1 Timothy 2:1-2) PRAY: Pray that the DRC government will rule justly and wisely, acting for the people of the DRC and putting their needs first. Ask that diplomatic attempts by the government to secure peace will be carried out through cooperation and respect. Pray for an improvement in infrastructure in the DRC, particularly in the east. Airstrips need to be repaired regularly so that relief flights can operate. Roads are often in disrepair (if there are roads at all), which results in vehicles getting stuck and causing delays. Pray that the government and donors will invest in these areas. The DRC has immense natural resources such as diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt and zinc. Give thanks for Tearfund s Unearth the Truth campaign. Over the last two years, supporters have taken more than 40,000 actions. This has put pressure on the EU to pass strong transparency laws which shine a light on payments from oil, gas and mining companies to governments. New laws have been passed, and now EU-based companies will have to publish what they pay to access natural resources. This will help citizens in the DRC to hold their government to account and fight to ensure money is invested in poorer communities. Pray that these new laws will quickly make a difference to the people of the DRC. ACT / CREATIVE PRAYER: We are inextricably linked to the corruption that impacts the lives of the poorest people in resource-rich countries through the huge role that oil, gas and minerals play in our everyday lives. Take a walk around your local streets and look at the pavements, roads and street lights. Think about the services provided by the police, the fire brigade and the hospitals. Give thanks for all that God has given you and remember people in the DRC who do not enjoy such benefits. 11 DRC PRAYER GUIDE
7. DON T FORGET TEARFUND IN THE DRC I pray that God blesses Tearfund and all their staff! Muholeza, aged 32, a widow who is involved with Tearfund s food security projects in Musochi, eastern DRC Tearfund has been working in the DRC since 1986 and supports 11 partners as well as working directly on the ground through a Tearfund team. Together, they provide assistance with water and sanitation, issues around sexual violence, church and community mobilisation, health education and food security. REFLECT: Muholeza s husband was killed in the fighting in eastern DRC. After that, life became very hard for her and her four children, as she struggled to feed her family and find seeds to plant and cultivate. When Tearfund arrived in the village in 2011, Muholeza was selected for an agricultural project and received various tools such as a hoe and a garden fork as well as seeds, including maize, beans and groundnuts. From this she was able to produce a bountiful harvest of 475kg of maize, 82kg of beans and 23kg of peanuts. Her children now eat twice a day and have returned to school because she has enough money for fees, and she is now able to pay for clothes and for medication to keep her family healthy. It s because of this hoe given by Tearfund that I have been able to see my problems, difficulties and worries transformed into joy and victory, says Muholeza. She is now looking forward to the future, saying that she hopes that, after the next harvest, we will be able to pay for corrugated iron sheeting to roof our house and buy a mattress. A family who has received seeds and tools Photo: Corrie Sissons/Tearfund 12 DRC PRAYER GUIDE
BUT I TRUST IN YOUR UNFAILING LOVE; MY HEART REJOICES IN YOUR SALVATION. I WILL SING THE LORD S PRAISE, FOR HE HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME. (Psalm 13:5-6) PRAY: Pray for people living in poverty in the DRC and for our partners and Tearfund staff as they seek to help others through initiatives such as Muholeza s agricultural project. Pray for God s protection over Tearfund staff, inspired individuals and partners and the communities we serve as they go about their daily lives. Pray particularly for safety as they travel along routes where ambushes are common. Praise God that during recent bouts of conflict, all our staff and their immediate families have remained safe. ACT: Consider asking your home group and/or church to include Tearfund s work in the DRC in your weekly or Sunday prayers of intercession. Or you could find a buddy to pray together for the DRC. Keep persevering by setting an alarm to remind you to pray for Tearfund s work in the DRC, giving thanks for the hope that it brings to families such as Muholeza s. 13 DRC PRAYER GUIDE
AND FINALLY: A PRAYER FROM THE DRC O God, loving parent of all, comfort your children displaced, wounded, lost or orphaned by conflict in the DRC and give the people of that country courage to seek enduring peace with justice and freedom, that their children might grow up without fear. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. Adapted from the Anglican Swahili prayer books: Tanzania (1995) and Congo (1998). THANK YOU FOR PRAYING. Please continue to keep the DRC in your prayers. Visit www.tearfund.org/pray to see our current prayer news and sign up for our One Voice prayer email. You ll receive regular information to help you pray for the DRC and more situations of need around the world. Pendeza and her family Photo: Corrie Sissons/Tearfund Cover photo: Richard Hanson/Tearfund 14 DRC PRAYER GUIDE