On Wednesday, the United Nations said Zimbabwe was facing its worst ever hunger crisis and revised its humanitarian appeal to step up food assistance to people most affected by drought, flooding, and economic stagnation.

Cyclone Idai struck the country in March, affecting around 570,000 Zimbabweans, as well as large parts of Mozambique and Malawi, wiping out villages and crops. 

The World Food Programme (WFP) say now that more than one-third of the rural population, or 3.6 million people, will be food insecure by October and by January the figure is expected to increase to 5.5 million during the inter-harvest season.

Most of Zimbabwe’s 60 districts will exhaust their maize stocks by October with the WFP needing $173 million to implement its response plan in the next nine months.

Aid charity CAFOD’s country representative for Zimbabwe, Verity Johnson, said: “Years of economic turmoil and climate change, as well as the recent Cyclone Idai, are pushing families to the brink of starvation. Last year’s harvests failed, largely due to extreme weather, ranging from droughts that lasted for months on end, to flooding which wiped out whole villages.

“The cost of food has also risen sharply and there are severe bread shortages across the country. Where it can be found, a loaf of bread in Zimbabwe now costs up to nine times more than it did a year ago. Parents are…

Kashmir is a region in India which is the centre of a dispute between India, Pakistan and China.

The state of Jammu and Kashmir within the region has some autonomy from India, allowing Kashmiris to govern themselves in many ways. 

On Monday, India revoked Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which had given special status to the Muslim-majority region, allowing it to have a separate constitution, a state flag and autonomy over the internal administration of the state.

Now, the region is in lockdown with schools and shops closed and no public transport. Thousands of Indian troops were sent in to enforce curfews and the internet is still cut off. 

Dr Matthew Rees from Open Doors said: “The tensions in Kashmir are very worrying for religious minorities across India and particularly for those living in Kashmir. This includes the local Christian population, many of whom are from a Muslim background and already experiencing severe pressure from their community.

“Sources in Kashmir have told Open Doors that they are concerned that this latest development will increase the already high levels of fear amongst the minority communities in the Kashmir. The events in the region make it very clear that no minority in India can expect any level of special protection.”
 
Religious minorities in India are concerned that the government will introduce anti-conversion…

It aims to get 1000 girls sponsored by the International Day of the Girl on 11th October.

Wolrd Vision UK’s chief executive Tim Pilkington said: “Motivated by our faith, we stand with these girls. World Vision does not accept that they are second class citizens. We believe every girl has a God-given right to reach her full potential. Girls everywhere are standing up for their rights. They are breaking through barriers, raising their voices against violence, and setting themselves free.”

The sponsorships will be used to get girls into school, stop child marriage, provide sexual health services, tackle menstrual stigma and combat sexual violence and harassment.

World Vision staff will also mentor the girls through school and train teachers to support girls through education and provide schools with clean water and girl-friendly toilets (such as those given out in the picture above). 

The staff will also help mothers spot the signs of malnutrition and set up businesses.

Molly, the 10 year old daughter of Ruth Tormey who works on Christian engagement for World Vision told Premier: “Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself. Your neighbor is not just the person that lives next to you. It’s everyone everywhere! Girls should be able to have clean water and go to school and not get forced to get married or go to work”. 

Ruth Tormey added: “We want to ensure that…

The fifteen year old is still missing after a week, with her parents finding her room empty and her window open on the morning of Sunday 4th.

She has been described by her parents as ‘funny and extremely loving’ but also vulnerable as she has holoprosencephaly, a brain defect meaning her verbal communication is limited and cannot write more than a few words.

Her parents described in a statement: “She is unable to do maths and so things like money are impossible to manage.”

St Bede’s Catholic church in Clapham Park, which she attends, was open nearly every day last week for congregation members to come in and pray. A mass was held on Saturday for her safe return and on Thursday St Bede’s will do the same with parish priest Father Marcus Holden

Fr Marcus Holden wrote on Facebook: “Please pray for Nora Quoirin, a fifteen year old parishioner at St Bede’s, who is missing in Malaysia on her holiday with family. Please pray for her safety and for her family who are distressed at this time.

“The church at St Bede’s will be open throughout the day for prayers for her and at every Mass we are praying for her.”

Over 100 people replied that they were praying in the comments. 

Nora’s Irish mother, Meabh Quoirin, said in a filmed speech to local people in Malaysia loooking for her: “We see you working so hard and also praying with us and being with us.

“You have given…