As Christians wait with anticipation to celebrate the birth of the Light of the world, the SAT-7 KIDS program Family of Jesus teaches children how to be like their Saviour – a light amid darkness, preparing the way for His kingdom in their own small world.

Enjoying rights and freedoms, including access to basic services such as healthcare and education, is a challenge in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and even more so during the pandemic. In a region characterised by economic crisis and ethnic and religious division, life for many minorities – including refugees – has never been tougher.

“A voice inside of me refuses to be silenced,” says a woman who called in to SAT-7 ARABIC. As societal pressures conspire to keep women and girls unheard, SAT-7 aims to bring them together, to amplify their voices, and to highlight the struggles and lack of support they face and which now compounded by the pandemic.

“Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion,” states Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Yet this right is denied to many across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). In response, SAT-7 supports minority Christians facing a lack of freedom and fellowship, creates space for others seeking truth, and seeks to open conversations about freedom of belief.

As in many places in today’s world, countless people in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are marginalised simply because of who they are. And as the pandemic and lockdown continue, women, members of minorities, and people with disabilities are even more vulnerable to being denied their rights and freedoms. On Human Rights Day (10 December), we shine a light on the struggles and strength of these communities, and on how SAT-7 serves them.

“You cannot prevent the young from hoping, or from learning,” is the message from Afghan young people, shared through SAT-7 PARS after a deadly gun attack on Kabul University that killed 22 students. On the Dari-language program Secrets of Life, presenter Shoaib comforts Afghans with the Christian message of hope and the resilience of youth.

In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), societal stigma and shame around disability is widespread while support structures, at both the local and national level, are very limited. SAT-7’s channels seek to offer opportunities for people with disabilities to be represented, and to share their stories in societies in which they are often side-lined.

“I strongly felt the presence of Jesus with me during my long days in self-isolation, after I fell ill with COVID-19. I felt His care for me as if I were sleeping in His arms,” Presenter Karen Khoury recently shared her story on SAT-7 KIDS, to encourage viewers and counter a message many encounter – that contracting the virus is cause of shame.