“I pray to God as I walk, asking him to change
my life and lead us out of this.”
Loko walks alone for eight hours a day, in shoes so
thin that thorns repeatedly pierce through to her
feet, to gather and sell firewood so she can feed
her children. Loko is frightened of being attacked
by hyenas with no one to hear her screams. So
she prays as she walks. Her faith pushes her on.
It’s a job she dreads, but she has no choice; she
must continue, week after week. If she doesn’t,
her children will starve. As it is, Loko can only
afford to give them one small meal a day.
Loko refuses to give up hope. She dreams of
owning a cow one day; its milk would help her
children to grow strong, and she could also sell some so she could save enough money
to set up a small business buying and selling tea and coffee.
Christian Aid Week (10-16 May)is focussing on transforming women’s lives in
Ethiopia where owning a cow not only provides milk and income but also gives a woman
a voice in her community where assets are power.
Please pray for Christian Aid’s partners working in Ethiopia and around the world and
also for the thousands of people here in the UK collecting and fundraising for Christian
Aid this week.
Stourbridge Deanery – Rural Dean: Paul Harrison; Lay Chair: John Nicholson
Diocese of Southwark: Bishop Christopher Chessun with Bishops Richard Cheetham
(Kingston), Jonathan Clark (Croydon), Michael Ipgrave (Woolwich)
Diocese of Björgvin (Norway): Bishop Halvor Nordhaug
Diocese of Nike (Nigeria): Bishop Evans Ibeagha