Peace of mind in changing times
By World Renew West Africa*
In some communities in West Africa* where World Renew staff could once freely visit, due to growing security concerns access has become limited. But World Renew continues to work alongside our local partners to provide the training and support communities need, so that they can continue striving for their own development even if at some point our staff cannot visit anymore.
By helping communities establish Village Saving and Loans Associations (VSLAs), community members learn the discipline of meeting regularly to pool their savings and save for the future. The VSLA meetings also provide opportunities to train members in business management, conservation agriculture, and more. Training sessions are often facilitated by Group Advisors– community members trained by World Renew and our partner, SEL, in one of the following areas: agriculture, revenue, health, family responsibilities, and in some Christian communities, prayer.
In one region, the Group Advisors trained in family responsibility have been stressing the importance of having identification documents when police became more vigilant in enforcing the requirement for proper identification.
“Every time I brought my wife for medical treatment or to the market, I had to pay a 2000f fine ($4.47 CAD) for not having our paperwork, and the day we wanted to go to the city and we didn’t have the 2000f, we had to get off the paved road to continue in the bush, which is very risky,” shares Ibrahim*, one VSLA member. “The director of the school threatened my son to bring a copy of his father’s nationality paper…or he would risk being kicked out of school, and I did not have the documents.”
Ibrahim says, “Thanks to the advice from the [Group] Advisor, I completed ID cards, family books, birth certificates, and nationality documents for my wife and myself. Now we are at peace when we travel, and our children are no longer threatened to be kicked out of school.”
World Renew West Africa thanks God for his protection that allows us to share his hope even in the midst of challenging times.
*Due to security risks, names and places have been changed or omitted to protect identities.
Prayers for West Africa
By Harouna Issaka
- Please pray for political and social stability across West Africa; pray for peace to prevail.
- Praise God that despite major security challenges linked to armed and jihadist groups, World Renew West Africa is able to continue sharing God’s hope in the region.
- There have already been violent protests as Senegal prepares for presidential elections on February 25th, 2024; pray for a peaceful and fair election process.
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