Join us for live blogging from the Uganda, Honduras, Peru and Aftercare prayer rooms on Saturday, March 28th at 11:20am ET.
Gathering to pray for urgent aftercare needs in our offices in 12 countries. Aftercare specialist Kathy Stoute-LaBauve is giving us an overview of the needs.
[UGANDA] Meeting new Field Office Director in Uganda, Jesse Rudy. He and his wife along with 3 small kiddos will deploy very soon.
[UGANDA] Like Zambia, casework primarily revolves around illegal property seizure from widows and orphans.
[UGANDA] Tough to get convictions when land and property is stolen from widows, b/c govmt officials ID the crime as more of a 'family dispute' than a punishable crime.
[AFTERCARE] Kathy shares a story of ten of our clients in South Asia. She explains how difficult the work can be -- the need to overcome the trauma, language and cultural barriers. It is difficult work on many levels.
[UGANDA] Widow with 9 children (two of whom are special needs) was physically forced off of her land by her husband's 4 other wives and their combined 60 children.
[AFTERCARE] One of Kathy's greatest prayer requests is to find skilled therapists in the countries where we work.
[UGANDA] She legally owns land, but she is now homeless -- living with a brother and tilling someone else's land for them. IJM is working to restore her land so she can provide well for her 9 children.
[UGANDA] IJM office in Uganda is also working to raise community awareness in-country -- great news that this year, there's an 'IJM Land-Grabbing' desk at the local police dept where victims can make IJM aware of their cases.
[AFTERCARE] Kathy also prays that adult clients - who are not required to enter into aftercare programs - will be moved to accept the resources and assistance being offered to them, and that they not return to prostitution. May they realize the value and see hope in the resources that we want to offer them.
[UGANDA] Moving into prayer now in small groups -- Four main categories are Staff transitions, Clients, Parliamentary support of work, Legal Education.
[UGANDA] Great news that this year, a law prof in country founded a campus chapter -- students rising up in their own country to raise awareness about property grabbing and empowering them to affect change. So cool.
[AFTERCARE] Kathy continues to train people in the field to serve as social workers to meet the needs of clients. The need was great last year, too...and she reports that many prayers had been answered over the last year.
[UGANDA] The Rudy family has three toddlers -- praying now for easy transitions from US to Uganda. Also for staff -- cohesion is so crucial in order for the work to push forward.
[AFTERCARE] Prayer for specific aftercare needs is beginning. There is great need, but the room here is full with those who want to offer prayer to meet those needs. No doubt this offers encouragement and courage to Kathy -- and to those who work with her in our field offices.
[UGANDA] Know that this standing-room-only crowd praying for work must be a huge breath of fresh air for Jesse and family.
[UGANDA] Focusing now on prayer for clients -- that widows would know their rights, and that the strong hand of oppression would no longer hold them down.
[UGANDA] Staggered again by these GPGers -- they believe what they're praying. Such authentic hope is being voiced all over this room.
[AFTERCARE] Participants are moving in groups from one corner of the room to another, each designated to specific aftercare needs in the regions in which we work. Aftercare needs are so different in each region, different according to the needs of each individual client. It is complicated and delicate work.
[UGANDA] Govmt cooperation makes such a radical difference in the success of this work -- praying now that members of the Ugandan parliament would support and enable IJM's work to thrive.
[AFTERCARE] Aftercare work is so difficult and delicate -- and often takes much time before real progress is seen in clients. Kathy and her team will need the continued prayers of those here with us today, and all of you who are with us in spirit this weekend -- and throughout the year.
[UGANDA] 'Mwebale Okutusabila' - Thank you for praying for us.
[AFTERCARE] Prayers of gratitude are being offered for our aftercare partners in the field who do critical work with so many young clients -- helping them rebuild their lives, embrace their new-found freedom. We are grateful for these partnerships, and pray that they will flourish.
[UGANDA] Thanks for being here with us -- see you in Guatemala after lunch...
hannaschmidt
amyeroth
IJMHQ
Lori Poer
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