Please pray for...

1.  Isolated women who are being abused in their homes to find friends who will encourage them to protect themselves and help them to acknowledge that as God’s children they don’t deserve such horrible treatment. 
2.  Project Hannah’s (PH) Women of Hope (WoH) programs in over 50 languages as they teach that family abuse is neither normal nor acceptable. Pray for wisdom and insight for the writers of these programs as they try to communicate God’s love for and value of every person.  Praise the Lord that WoH Umbundu went on the air in Angola in March!
3.  Mothers, as well as fathers, who sell their daughters or force them to undergo female circumcisions. Pray that government officials will continue to fight the sex tourism trade and punish family members who sell their daughters. 
4.  Rejoice, for He is risen! “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:46-47).
5.  Pastors and church leaders to be willing to speak out against infidelity and abuse by church members and to encourage those being abused to come to them for help and safety. Pray that they will be firm with the abusers and follow through to make sure that the abuse stops.
6.  Abusive family members to accept that the violence is their problem, not the victims’. Pray that they will seek help and be willing to do whatever it takes to stop their abusive behavior. Pray that they will be changed by God’s mercy (1 Timothy 1:12-14).
7.  Those who experience domestic violence in Christian homes where violent words, controlling behavior or physical and sexual abuse by a family member, caregiver or loved one are humiliating and devastating. “The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates. On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot” (Psalm 11:5-6). 
8.  Women in Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) who are considering suicide in order escape the torture and humiliation of abuse in their homes. Many are forced into marriages that are often polygamous and then treated as servants. Amnesty International states that nearly half of women in Tajikistan are raped, beaten or abused by family members (BBC News). 
9.  Parents to cherish their children and to teach them to honor God and respect others. Pray also that parents will teach their children that alcohol consumption can lead to abusive, foolish and reckless behavior that can devastate families and destroy lives. 
10.  Battered women who deny or minimize their abuse in order to protect the abuser. Pray that they will understand that they are hindering the abuser from getting needed help, and they are also enabling the abuser to continue to harm them and others.
11.  Women in Africa (Algeria, Angola, Benin, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland and Tanzania) to know that God loves them and does not condone the abusive behavior of fathers, husbands or others who mistreat them.  
12.  Women and girls to find a way to escape prostitution, and that others will help them return home and find work. “‘Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,’ says the Lord. ‘I will protect them from those who malign them’” (Psalm 12:5). 
13.  Women who are suffering from AIDS because they were raped or because their husbands were unfaithful. Pray that they will know God’s love and comfort and that they will get the medicine and food they need. 
14.  God to be the protector for wives who have been abandoned or divorced and need food and shelter. Pray for those who lose custody of their children to find comfort and help from Christians.
15.  Wisdom for PH’s WoH teams in South America as they provide programs for women in Guarani, Lengua, Low German, Nivacle, Portuguese and Quichua, and also in Spanish, which is heard in 22 countries. Also pray for the Creole, English and Papiamentu programs airing in the Caribbean to provide encouragement and help to women who are in despair.    
16.  Women who stay in abusive relationships because they fear losing their children to the fathers, or because they are not employed and do not own any property or have any money of their own.  17.  Police officers to be more supportive of women who are being abused at home, that they will treat the violence not as mere disputes, but as crimes deserving punishment. Pray that judges will convict abusers and demand they seek treatment and pay restitution. 
18.  More shelters and low-cost housing to become available for battered women trying to start over and build a safe home for themselves and their children.
19.  Reinforcement of laws against violence and trafficking of women and girls into prostitution. Pray that the abusers will be caught and punished, and that their arrests would be made public to warn others that these acts are not acceptable.
20.  Women in Europe (Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and Ukraine) who face the humiliation and dangers of domestic violence. 
21.  Abusers to be made aware that they do not own their wives and children and therefore cannot “do whatever they want with them.” Pray that communities will hold abusers accountable for their actions and will teach men to love, cherish and care for their family members.
22.  Young girls who are forced by family members to marry because of poverty, debt or so the family can buy a television. Pray also for girls who desire to commit suicide because of the debt her dowry or wedding will cause her parents.  Pray that attitudes will change as people are taught that these abuses are against the law and not acceptable.
23.  Caregivers of children, the elderly and the handicapped to seek help before their frustrations lead to violent words and actions.
24.  Abusers to seek help and allow others to hold them accountable for their actions. “Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon” (Isaiah 55:7).  
25.  Children who witness domestic violence between their parents. Many of these children develop severe emotional problems, such as memory and concentration deficiencies, distrust of adults, excessive worry, guilt, shame, anger and aggressive behavior.  
26.  Steadfastness for PH’s WoH teams and intercessors in Asia (Australia, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam) as they provide God’s truths and prayers so more women can experience a relationship with Jesus Christ. 
27.  Battered women who blame themselves and think they lack spirituality because they have been told that they are not praying hard enough or being good enough, and that they are the cause of their own abuse. Pray that Christians will not twist Scripture to explain, excuse or justify abuse between family members.
28.  The 100 million abandoned and runaway children who live on the streets and often beg, steal and prostitute themselves in order to survive. Many turn to drugs and glue-sniffing to escape the pain of hunger and trauma of desertion. 
29.  Praise the Lord for the men who are listening to the WoH program and attending prayer groups. They are thankful for help in understanding the women in their homes and churches. Pray for them as they strive to be godly husbands, fathers and brothers.
30.  Laws against so-called “honor killings” to be passed and upheld. In some countries, those who kill their female relatives in defense of their family’s honor are exempt from prosecution and punishment.

Irena is 32 and a mother of four children. She came to the Lord five years ago at a Project Hannah-Albania women’s conference. She is a faithful intercessor and listener of Women of Hope. Irena’s love and passion for Jesus gives her strength to deal with her difficult life.

Married at 15, she was considered the servant of everyone in her husband’s family. She was constantly abused by her husband and her mother-in-law, who was “training her to be a good wife.” She thought obeying and doing everything they wanted would stop the violence, but it only increased. Irena lived the first years of her marriage in fear that each new day would bring death.

One day, she learned of a Christian radio program about women in similar circumstances. She also heard about a women’s conference. She desperately wanted to know more about the God who “heals the brokenhearted” (Psalm 147:3). She was not allowed to leave her home without her husband’s permission, even to go to the local shop. Desperate, she did what she heard on the radio; she began to pray. She joined the speaker every morning and prayed. God answered! Her husband allowed her to go to the conference.

She used her hair to try and cover her bruised, bloodshot eyes and open wounds. With tears, she shared with the ladies the joy and hope Jesus gave her for her tomorrows.  Speechless, Enkelejda hugged her and cried and prayed with her and many other women like her, all suffering from domestic violence in Albania. An awareness campaign addressing Domestic Violence in Albania was started. Project Hannah seminars and radio programs have helped to improve the situation in Irena’s home, and God gives her daily strength.

Domestic Violence is a tragedy that destroys the lives of women and children in every country. Please pray with us.