This week's prayers

14-20 March
Damaris getsherfuture back

As she pounds her tomatoes to create juice and keeps a watchful eye on the doughnuts and croquettes she is cooking for the Bible Society Esther Project stall, Damaris may look energetic and robust. But for several years this Cameroon woman has been fighting leukaemia.

Sometimes it leaves her completely washed out. And bringing up her seven-year-old son on her own is hard enough without the exhausting medical treatment she regularly needs.

Damaris admits, ‘I was very depressed when I signed up for the Bible Society’s Esther Project camp, and the future looked bleak.’

The Bible Society of Cameroon set up the Esther Project to find a solution to the hopelessness felt by many young unmarried mothers like Damaris. Through twice monthly meetings and an annual camp, it introduces them to the Bible and grounds them in its wisdom and hope. It tackles practical needs by teaching simple income-generating activities. Lastly, it offers psychological support, since many of them need help to recover from traumatic experiences like rape and incest.

‘Today my life is completely different,’ says Damaris. ‘At the camp, in addition to the Bible studies, practical lessons, and psychological help, the best thing was that we were given a lot of love and were made to feel wanted! When I left, I was no longer the same person.’

Returning from the camp, Damaris found she had just under one US dollar, with which she could buy cassava in the market, grate it and make starch to sell to a dry cleaning shop. Now her sales of starch are growing, and so is her faith.

‘I never miss any of the Esther Projects meetings,’ Damaris continues. ‘Seeing the other girls, hearing the Bible texts being taught and learning to understand the Word better means a great deal to me.’

Please pray

• Give thanks for lives, like Damaris’, which are being transformed by the Esther Project in Cameroon. Pray for the Bible teachers, business advisers and counsellors who seek to give these young women a brighter future.

‘I alone know the plans I have for you … plans to bring about the future you hope for.’ Jeremiah 29.11