The ongoing civil war between the Saudi-led coalition and Houthi, the rebel group in Yemen, has had a devastating impact on the lives of women and children in the country. Many women have had to become the breadwinner for their families due to the war, with least few job opportunities in the patriarchal society. Women’s lives have a lot of regression regarding safety and finances.

Pray for divine protection and provision for the Yemeni women and children affected by the ongoing civil war (The Holy Bible, Psalm 72:14).

Let the Yemeni women be the lamp that gives light to everyone in the house and the society. Keep them safe from oppression by bushels of gender-based discrimination in Jesus’s Mighty Name (The Holy Bible, Matthew 5:15).

Pray against all the factors that destroy society in Yemen in the name of power lust (The Holy Bible, 1 John 2:16).

Yemen jumped two places in the Persecution Index to finish third in 2023. The ongoing civil war opened new methods to discriminate and persecute Christians. The humanitarian aid distribution system operates through government-controlled mosques or Houthi-established camps. Both give preferential treatment to “devout Muslims” only. Indigenous Christians and Christian Converts cannot avail of this aid. Christian Believers face physical and sexual torture for their beliefs. Al Qaeda and the remnants of the Islamic State also persecute Christian Believers in Yemen. Furthermore, young Christian girls face the constant threat of abduction and forced marriages to Muslim men.

Vietnam is a source, transit, and destination country for sex trafficking. Women and children, often from rural areas, are lured or coerced into the commercial sex industry within Vietnam or trafficked abroad, primarily to China, Cambodia, and other countries in the region. Factors such as poverty, lack of education, unemployment, and discrimination exacerbate vulnerabilities to trafficking.

Pray for the Vietnamese government to take practical actions to combat sex trafficking in the country (The Holy Bible, Psalm 118:25).

LORD, we pray that Your Angels encamp around the vulnerable people in Vietnam and deliver them from all evil (The Holy Bible, Psalm 34:7).

Vietnam is a former French colony. It is also one of the last Communist strongholds in the world. Like in all authoritative regimes, corruption and persecution are rampant. Some traditional churches are allowed to operate freely. Any Church that attempts evangelism or tries to engage in social service faces severe persecution not limited to prison sentences. Christian Converts are usually from minority tribes. This factor increases their persecution level more than others in Vietnam. China is the key trading partner for Vietnam despite maritime border disputes in the South China Sea.