Published Fri, Apr 17, 20.
Written by Scott Chleborad.
As Ethiopians prepare this weekend for celebrations of Easter, known as Fasika, many will be spending time in prayer. However, Fasika isn't the only reason that Ethiopians are praying. Last week, the government of Ethiopia asked members of all the major religions in the country to pray for the protection of Ethiopia from the Coronavirus pandemic. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church, The Roman Catholic Church, Seventh Day Adventists, Evangelicals and Muslims have all responded to the request for prayer. To further support the effort, all of the television networks in Ethiopia are providing airtime daily for 30 days so that pastors and worship leaders as well as community leaders and even doctors can encourage and lead citizens in the prayer effort.
Ethiopia currently has 96 active COVID-19 cases and efforts are under way to keep the virus from spreading. A 5-month-long State of Emergency has been declared in the country and citizens cannot go out in public without wearing a face mask. Nationwide, Ethiopia has the capacity to run only 400 Coronavirus tests per day. So many people with symptoms are not being tested or tracked. In addition, medical resources in Ethiopia's vast rural areas are inadequate to deal with any level of community spread. So prayer may be the only way that Ethiopia can escape extensive loss-of-life and permanent damage to their economy. Will you join them in praying for Ethiopia and for all who are impacted by the pandemic worldwide?