It’s been a very unsettling couple of months. The result of the EU referendum was largely unexpected and nobody really seemed prepared for it. We just don’t know how the UK’s exit from the EU is going to work, how long it will take or exactly how it will affect our day-to-day lives. Add to that the attempted coup in Turkey, shootings in America and several horrifying terrorist attacks and it’s enough to make you feel a little insecure – vulnerable, even.

Life on the streets of Kinshasa, DRC, is a struggle for survival

This kind of uncertainty has come as a shock to a lot of us – certainly to me – but at times like these, it’s worth remembering that our God is still sovereign and still faithful.

‘So do not be afraid, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’ (Isaiah 41:10)

And this could be an opportunity to gain some perspective. We might be unhappy about the uncertainty we’re facing, but uncertainty is a daily reality for countless people whose lives aren’t quite as comfortable as ours. For vulnerable children like those living on the streets of Kinshasa, uncertainty is part of existence: they’re often not even sure where their next meal will come from.

I’m not saying our own problems don’t matter. Issues like the UK’s membership of (or withdrawal from) the EU are important. But let’s allow this sense of uncertainty to prompt us to pray for children whose health, homes and even lives are uncertain.

Click here to find out more about how to pray for our partners and the children they serve.

There are many things which can leave children vulnerable, but HIV/AIDS is a particularly significant problem. It can affect children directly and also indirectly, as the death or acute illness of a parent can leave a child at risk of neglect, malnutrition and severe poverty.

The BBC have put together a short film (really short – 38 seconds!) with five key facts about AIDS in Africa. Give it a look – it’s 38 seconds well spent!

Last month, the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board adopted a new strategy to end the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030. The UNAIDS 2016–2021 Strategy is one of the first in the United Nations system to be aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals, which set the framework for global development policy over the next 15 years, including ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

This is very encouraging news! There are currently around 36.7 million people living with HIV, so the goal of ending the epidemic by 2030 is pleasingly ambitious. And the virus can decimate lives, including leaving children as orphans, vulnerable and at risk of exploitation and extreme poverty. So, ending the AIDS epidemic could hardly be more important.

To find out more about the UNAIDS strategy, click here. And to find out more about our Rwandan partner’s work with children affected by HIV, click here.