Afghanistan

The stark statistics which spell out the poverty of Afghanistan can be found on the web pages of UNICEF and the World Health Organisation:
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/afghanistan_statistics.html

http://www.who.int/countries/afg/en/

Long years of war have impacted particularly on women and children, as is always the case, and a staggeringly high proportion of women die in childbirth. The proportion of children who are malnourished and stunted is also frighteningly high.

Dear Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer for Afghanistan. May the people of Afghanistan be able to achieve a lasting peace. May they be able to send all their children to school for a good and complete education - girls as well as boys, and may they be helped to develop effective health services. Lord, I pray especially for the children of Afghanistan, that they may receive adequate nutrition to grow strong and healthy.

Father, I pray also for our forces in Afghanistan. My they carry out their role with integrity. May their situation be properly understood by the government and people of the UK, and may they all come safely home.