Written by: INcontext International
Article source: www.incontextinternational.org

According to Save the Children, almost 450 million children are currently living in war zones, the highest number in over 10 years and 20% more than just a year ago. Over the last two and a half years of the COVID-19 pandemic, children have experienced a myriad of challenges ranging from interrupted education, increasing food shortages, and rising levels of violence and abuse.

In 2021, millions of children began suffering from malnutrition as wars, climate change, and natural disasters intensified food shortages in already food-insecure nations. Save the Children predicts that two million children will die from hunger-related causes in 2022. Apart from COVID-19 and climate change-related crises, economic and political collapse and protracted conflicts are severely affecting the world’s children.

As Sri Lanka faces its worst economic crisis in decades, more children are being placed in institutions and alternate care situations because families are struggling to care for them in their economic distress. More than 10,000 children are being cared for by these institutions, many of which are also incapable of providing adequate support needed for a child’s healthy development.

The United Nations (UN) estimates that almost 50% of Sri Lankan children need emergency assistance. The lack of economic resources has forced many Sri Lankan children to be kept out of school, which has in turn increased levels of exploitation, violence, and abuse. The ongoing conflict in Ethiopia is also adversely affecting the country’s child population, as the levels of malnutrition and food insecurity continue to grow.

Recent estimates by Save the Children predict that over 185,000 children in eastern Ethiopia are facing the highest level of malnutrition. In the wider Horn of Africa, 10 million children are expected to suffer from food shortages as the region endures another year of drought.

The challenges facing children are not unique to Sri Lanka or Ethiopia, as conflicts in Afghanistan, Ukraine, South Sudan, Yemen, and several other countries are severely affecting the physical, mental, and spiritual health of children. Henrietta Fore, UNICEF executive director, in a recent UN humanitarian report, emphasised: “As always, it is the children already living through crises who are the hardest hit. They need urgent help.”

FROM A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE

45 million children under 5 years old suffering from malnutrition globally

450 million children living in conflict zones

78.2 million children living in conflict zones without access to education

Jesus says so much about the value of children. After His disciples dismissed the children in Mark 10:13, Jesus was indignant and said to them (vs 14-16): “‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ And He took the children in His arms, placed His hands on them and blessed them.” Programmes aimed at helping children are consistently underfunded, offering the Church an opportunity to step in and fill the gap. Children suffering the effects of global crises need more than just physical support, they need spiritual support and encouragement.

As the future generation of church leaders, it is critical that the children of the world be cared for, protected, and discipled. Proverbs 22:6 speaks to the importance of reaching people with the gospel when they are young: “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” As one of the most vulnerable populations, children are often at the bottom of the social hierarchy and cannot always speak up for or provide for themselves.

Those who care for such populations demonstrate love for Christ and His people and will receive a heavenly reward. “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)

Please join us in prayer:

  • For children to receive the physical, emotional, and spiritual support they need to recover from the effects of these multiple crises
  • For the Church to lead the way in demonstrating how to support children and other vulnerable populations in a Christlike way
  • For this generation of youth to be transformed by the Gospel into a generation of bold and effective disciples

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Date published: 11/09/2022
Feature image: Image for illustrative purposes only. pixabay.com

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