PFR – Pray for Rain

It’s November 21st, and the rains have not really started here in Zambia or, especially, in the Lusaka area yet. They are almost a month behind! The effects of this are starting to be heard in people’s conversations about the lack of rain and being nervous about the potential for a drought this year. Yesterday, one of our Zambian colleagues commented at staff meeting that wells in his compound are starting to get low. And Lusaka is generally a dry, hot, dusty mess right now.

Zambia depends heavily upon the rainy season each year. Typically, the rainy season lasts from the end of October through the end of March. The rest of the year, it will usually not rain at all. Without a productive rainy season, the maize (corn) crops will most likely be low, which means the staple food (nshima) will not be able to be produced to its expected quantities, which results in food shortages and hunger.

21.4% of Zambia’s GDP is agriculture, and Zambia also depends on hydroelectric power for a lot of its electricity supplies. If there is no rain, crops don’t grow. And if there is no rain, hydroelectric dams don’t make electricity – so, less food and less power.

Please, pray that God would send rain soon! You can see more of our recent prayer requests here.