The 14^th World Prayer Mutirão for Children and Adolescents at Risk is an initiative of Viva, an organization that supports the work of networking on behalf of that age group. The Extended Hands Network (Red Manos Dadas) is responsible for the mobilizing of the campaign in Brazil. 

This year, the Prayer Mutirão incorporates the Latin American Campaign for Good Treatment of Children: “Love Your Neighbor - Good Treatment for Infants," that seeks to mobilize the Evangelical churches of the region so that they take care of the children in their spaces and communities. 

In the 2009 Mutirão, Christian are motivated to pray for the security of the neighborhood schools, for the lessening of poverty by one half before 2015, for the improvement of the health of childbearing women and, for the lessening of child  mortality.   

Prayer themes also include the fight against AIDS, malaria and other illnesses, the quality of life and respect for the environment, gender equality and the valuing of women and, work toward development.   

According to United Nation’s Children Fund (UNICEF), the principal situations of risk for children are slavery or child labor, war and other forms of violence, child abuse and sexual exploitation, physical and mental handicaps, abandonment or the loss of family and, the yoke of oppressive institutions.   

According to Viva, one of every five children in the world is in a situation of great social risk. 

Photo: Children at Risk (Roca D  ALC)