A few days ago I was watching an episode of 'Foyle's War' on television and I was touched by the title of the episode, 'Broken Souls'. This particular episode looked at the twists and turns in the lives of people as the second world war drew to an end.

My wife Rita and I talked during the programme about how hard it must have been for those affected by the war, both soldiers who had been in the front line and were now returning home, and also wives and families who had struggled whilst loved ones were away serving their country. It must have been so hard for these people to try to rebuild relationships and to start family life all over again, all without guaranteed work and still living with the trauma and emotions of years of war and pain.

In the work of World Emergency Relief it would be truthful to say that we are seeking to help many 'broken souls.' This might not be a common description but if we get beneath superficial words such as 'development', 'aid' or 'self-sustainability', we find lives that are broken and souls that are hurting.

I started thinking of the people of Zimbabwe who are suffering so much. Their lives are being broken by the greedy and power-mad behaviour of their country's leader, yet so many other leaders in Africa and elsewhere are simply standing by and doing nothing. They are in all honesty ignoring the plight of millions of broken souls.

I am reminded of the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke chp.10). Robbers attacked a man, stripped him, beat him and left him for dead, yet the religious leaders and holy men who had the authority and the position to help simply did nothing and walked on by. This sums up so much of the situation in Zimbabwe.

It took an unexpected Samaritan to come to the aid of this broken soul. As many African leaders look on and even walk past, my prayer is that a Good Samaritan will appear and stop, bend down and minister to the 'broken soul' that is the Zimbabwe nation and its people.

I believe the world's nations and leaders will, and should, be judged on whether they are the ones who stop and care, or if they turn the other way and ignore the plight of Zimbabwe's broken souls.