Somalia: Child Soldiers
On 3rd July 2012 Somalia signed a UN-backed agreement to end recruitment and use of child soldiers. See: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=42390#.UdP7d20ptr8 This week Win10/40 reported that in a school room in Somalia for 14 and 15 year old boys the stillness was shattered by the heavy, uneven footfall of people running. Then turbaned men wielding machine guns dragged young boys away. Instinctively others got up to run but none escaped the men who herded them into trucks - like cattle to the slaughterhouse. The boys were kidnapped, abducted, trafficked. The terrorist group Al Shabab sexually abused them, used the boys in militant battles as cannon fodder to protect the lives of adult terrorists, and stripped them of their childhood and human dignity. A 15-year-old boy who escaped Al Shabab recounted his horror to Human Rights Watch, ‘Out of all my classmates - out of 100 only two escaped, the rest were killed.’
Pray: that Somalia would honour its agreement with the UN, and for child soldiers to find healing and wholeness in the love of Jesus Christ (Mat.19:14)
More: http://win1040.com/post.php?id=1739&q=Child%20soldiers%20Somalia
Myanmar: Child soldiers
June 27th was the 1 year anniversary of Myanmar making a commitment to the UN to stop recruiting and using children as soldiers. The agreement acknowledged a longstanding problem and a willingness to correct the practice. However the Tatmadaw has continued to recruit and use children since it signed the action plan, although in lower numbers. It has only released 66 children from its ranks, a fraction of those recruited by troops since the UN started monitoring this issue. Myanmar continues to stall UN access to identify and release children from some of its military sites despite having signed an agreement to do so. The Border Guard Forces (BGFs), which are within the remit of the action plan and for whom the Myanmar military is responsible, have felt no pressure to initiate steps to verify, demobilise or rehabilitate children in their ranks.
Pray: that Myanmar will ensure that under-18s do not serve in the armed forces and immediately begin to honour their 2012 agreement with the UN. (Ps.72:4)
More: http://www.child-soldiers.org/news_reader.php?id=685
Archbishop of Canterbury plans credit union for the clergy
The Archbishop of Canterbury is planning to expand the reach of credit unions as part of a long-term campaign to boost competition in the banking sector. He has approved proposals considering how the Church of England's reach could boost access to credit unions, which are financial co-operatives that offer short term, affordable loans to members. The church is planning a credit union, possibly in partnership with the Church of Scotland, which would lend to members of the clergy and become a source of expertise on the credit union sector.
There are also plans to encourage church members with relevant skills to volunteer at credit unions. Small, local lenders could also be invited to use church buildings and other community locations with the help of church members. With a more diverse financial sector, there should be less need for payday lenders who extract exorbitant interest rates.
Pray: for this innovative idea and that it will expand and be a force for good (Ex.22:25)
More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/borrowing/10151220/Archbishop-of-Canterbury-plans-credit-union-for-the-clergy.html
The Church of England's General Synod
Will it be another Anglican bunfight or will new Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby hold the communion together? Asks Sam Jones in last Sunday's Guardian. He writes “On Friday afternoon, the Church of England's General Synod will descend on York to begin the Herculean task of clearing away some of the debris from its last meeting. The synod's failure in November to approve draft legislation that would have allowed female clergy to become bishops was memorably described by one member as "a train crash of epic proportions". Few would disagree. With parliament breathing down its neck and many angered by the church hierarchy's opposition to same-sex marriage, the C of E knows it cannot risk another embarrassing meeting. On Friday evening, Justin Welby, will address his first synod. Even for a man who has travelled to some of the most dangerous places on earth in the hope of bringing about peace and reconciliation, the five-day meeting will be a tough gig.
Pray: for Justin Welby and all attending General Synod that they will be open to God and be led by the Holy Spirit. (Ro.8:28)
More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/30/church-of-england-general-synod
