Prayer Calendar Archive

by Cisse Leaman Zeinab, Senegal national coordinator, and Sphiwe Nxumalo-Ngwenya, Africa regional coordinator

Nestled at Africa’s westernmost point and touched by the Atlantic Ocean, Senegal is a land rich in culture and spirit. Its capital, Dakar, sits on the Cap-Vert peninsula, the continent’s westernmost tip. Covering nearly 197,000 square kilometers (about 76,000 square miles), Senegal is home to about 18.9 million people in 2025. Known for its vibrant traditions and peaceful coexistence of Muslim, Christian and Indigenous cultures, Senegal stands out for its stability and national symbols like the baobab tree and lion, representing strength and resilience.

Within this diverse country, Senegalese women face ongoing challenges. Girls in Senegal face significant issues that hinder their futures. Female genital mutilation (FGM) and gender-based violence remain prevalent and pose serious risks to girls’ health and welfare.

According to UNICEF, Senegal is home to 1.8 million child brides; one in three young women were married before they turned 18. Of these young brides, 422,200 girls were married before the age of 15. They also report that nearly 2 million girls and women have undergone FGM. Overall, 25 percent of girls and women have undergone this practice.

Senegal’s Christian minority – around 3.6 percent of the population, or about 700,000 people – shares in these challenges. Even in a generally tolerant society, Christian women can face pressures limiting open expression of their faith and full participation in their communities.

TWR Women of Hope supports the women of Senegal through prayer groups that build spiritual strength and community. Wanting to reach the next generation with the hope and healing of Jesus, our leaders are creatively engaging younger women as well. These prayer groups are safe spaces for women of all ages to receive spiritual and emotional encouragement amid life’s hardships, such as abuse and poverty. Through the TWR Women of Hope ministry and prayer communities, they can cling to the knowledge that they are not alone.

While worldly systems may fail to change their living situations, the Word of God, spread through our TWR Women of Hope initiatives, offers eternal transformation. In Christ, they find hope, love and guidance to deal with daily challenges and, most importantly, they find eternal life and relationship with their Creator.