[Today’s Prayer] “When Disaster Meets Inequality”… 43,000 Women and Girls in Nepal Need Urgent Assistance

It has been reported that approximately 43,000 women and girls in Nepal are in immediate need of humanitarian assistance following the devastating floods. There are concerns not only about shortages of food and clean drinking water, but also about increased risks of sexual violence, exploitation, and human trafficking, as well as a growing burden of unpaid care work disproportionately placed on women.

At a press conference held on September 1 (local time) at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Christine Arab, UN Women’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, said, “Following the sudden floods in Nepal on August 26, approximately 43,000 women and girls are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance.” According to the Kathmandu Post and UN Women, approximately 157,050 women and girls in the Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts have been directly or indirectly affected by the floods.

Director Arab said, “This is what happens when disaster meets inequality. Those who are already left behind are often the first to be swept away.” According to UN Women, one organization reported that “pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with disabilities, and others were affected because they were unable to evacuate to higher ground.”

The most urgent concerns are food and clean drinking water. Director Arab explained, “Even before the floods, women in Nepal tended to eat less than other family members or eat last within their households. If food shortages worsen, this could negatively affect the health of pregnant and breastfeeding women.” She also pointed out, “Women in Rasuwa were already spending several hours each day traveling to collect water for their families before the floods, but with water infrastructure, roads, and bridges destroyed by the floods, it has become even more difficult to obtain safe water.”

There are also concerns that the risks of gender-based violence, exploitation, and human trafficking may increase. Director Arab said, “With infrastructure and communication facilities damaged, it has become difficult for victims to seek help or access protection services.” She added that in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha, and Chitwan, approximately one in three women is estimated to be illiterate, creating additional difficulties in awareness of and access to available services.

Director Arab also predicted that women’s burden of unpaid care work would increase. She explained, “Nepali women are estimated to perform approximately 85% of all unpaid care work each day. As homes, schools, and water supply facilities are destroyed and people are injured, women’s caregiving responsibilities may increase, leaving them with less time to earn an income or participate in decision-making related to response and recovery.”

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Source: Nate News

“But for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” (1 Corinthians 8:6)

We hear the news that following the devastating floods in Nepal, approximately 43,000 women and girls are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance, facing shortages of food and clean drinking water, risks of sexual violence, exploitation, and human trafficking, and the burden of unpaid care work.

Father God of Nepal, have mercy on the approximately 157,000 women and girls in the Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts who have been affected by the disaster, longstanding inequality, and vulnerable living conditions in Nepal. Protect them safely and provide every form of help that they need.

We believe that all things are through Jesus Christ. May the destroyed roads and water infrastructure be restored. Provide clean food and drinking water for the women and girls of Nepal, and restore communication facilities so that women who are victims caught in various dangers, including sexual violence, will not face difficulty seeking help or accessing protection services.

For this purpose, may the global Church take steps, with God’s grieving heart, to bring the eternal comfort and hope of God. May they provide prayer and the necessary material support, and especially send educational missionaries so that the problem of illiteracy among Nepali women who have not even been able to receive basic education in order to make a living may be addressed.

Also guide the active service of the churches in Nepal, so that they may become companions to the women and girls of Nepal who are suffering from deep wounds and pain, sharing the love of God with them. Raise up the Church in Nepal to boldly proclaim the gospel alongside emergency relief efforts.

May the women and girls of Nepal be restored through Christ Jesus, who loved them and bore the cross for them, and may they firmly move forward as witnesses of faith toward women and girls throughout the nations who are experiencing the same pain!