Pray for Dhaka, Bangladesh

Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Many residents came to Dhaka from rural areas with the hope of finding work and education. There is work, but the working conditions are extremely tough.

Editor’s note: We have included two articles about Dhaka in the 2021 edition, because of how large and strategic this city is for your prayers.

Maliha is one of the countless workers in Dhaka’s clothing factories. Even during Ramadan, she sets off for the factory at 7:00 a.m., where she works 12 to 14 hours a day. For most of the time, she sits at the sewing machine and turns pieces of fabric into t-shirts for a western fashion label. When she comes home tired in the evening, she breaks the fast and says her prayers before resting for a while. Maliha is looking forward to the Eid at the end of Ramadan when she and her family will welcome many guests into their small home, as is tradition among Bengali Muslims.

More than half of the population lives in poverty in this rapidly growing mega-city. Many women like Maliha earn very little in the sweatshops. The chance that they will hear about Jesus is small, because there are very few efforts to share the gospel in Bangladesh, and only about a quarter of them are focused on Muslims, although they make up 90{1ef34f8f1cacfdc6c19f5319e487deec2393c82eacea09a13da7feed1a24e305} of the population. It is estimated that there are less than 1000 believers with a Muslim background in Dhaka.

How to Pray

• Pray for courage and opportunities for the small number of believers in Dhaka, especially those of a Muslim background, to share their faith. (2 Timothy 2:1-7)
• Pray for more church planting efforts in Dhaka, with organizations putting resources into this massively strategic city. (Romans 10:13-14)
• Pray for business and factory owners to hear the Good News and become those who influence society and improve the situation for factory workers. (Matthew 19:16-30)

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Top photo by IMB. Used with permission.