A day of prayer has been held for vulnerable communities in Asia and Africa bracing themselves for a Covid-19 storm to unleash. 

The day of prayer was organised by The Leprosy Mission, which works in 10 countries across the two regions. 

While coronavirus death rates in these countries is comparatively low, governments have been watching developments in Europe and North America with concern. 

There are fears that if the virus takes off in developing countries, it will spread quickly through areas with overcrowding, poor sanitation and inadequate living conditions. 

The Leprosy Mission is also worried that the true number of cases may be masked as a result of inadequate testing.

Concerns are not confined to the virus, though, with lockdown leaving some people "desperately hungry", according to Peter Waddup, National Director of The Leprosy Mission.

"Lockdown itself has caused many problems with hunger being a more imminent threat than disease," he said. 

"In India the lockdown resulted in hundreds of thousands of migrant workers no longer able to work and feed themselves and their families. So they left the cities for their native homes. But the people there don't want them back because of coronavirus. It is a terrifying place for them to be.

"It is a time when we are incredibly thankful for our NHS." 

The situation has been difficult for poor communities in Nigeria, too, where there are few public hospitals and, according to The Leprosy Mission, only 3 to 5 per cent of the population have private health insurance.

"Tragically if you get seriously sick in Nigeria and have no money then you are simply left to die," said Mr Waddup. 

Despite the hardship, he said he had been deeply moved by the "sense of humanity" shown by overseas staff and partners, many of whom have been "going the extra mile" to serve vulnerable communities. 

This has included delivering food parcels and bringing health updates to poor communities. 

"It has to be remembered that the communities in which we work are among the poorest and most marginalised in the world," he said.

"These are people with little or no education and with limited access to digital communication. So it is up to us to tell people the symptoms of coronavirus and the need to self-isolate and socially distance."

Although Covid-19 poses huge challenges, Mr Waddup said the ministry was drawing strength from its survival through the dark days of World War One, when in spite of the hardships at home, a call to prayer was issued by founder Wellesley Bailey asking people to support its hospitals in India. Against all odds, the mission's income actually increased and new countries came to support its work. 

"Looking back it was a real period of growth for the Mission's work against an incredibly tough backdrop," said Mr Waddup. 

"So we hold on to these truths as we pray to our Lord that we can always reach out to people affected by leprosy and help to give them a route out of poverty.

"We are so grateful to our amazing supporters at this time who have been incredibly resilient in the face of adversity. Many have spent weeks alone at home. It has been so encouraging to personally talk to so many and for them to join us in prayer on this special day.

"There is an overall feeling of anxiety and uncertainty but we are in this together. There is a sense of real unity. It is incredibly poignant holding our day of prayer at Easter time. A time when we are reminded of hope in Christ and His triumph over death three days after the darkest day in history."