North Africa has a rich history. Christianity spread across the top of the region during the faith’s very earliest centuries. But few traces of this ancient presence now remain and today, believers face pressure, rejection, and even the threat of violence.

Many viewers grow up with our children’s programs and say how their lives have been influenced by them. Moussa* in Morocco, for example, started watching after he began praying to God as a 12-year-old.

SAT-7 recently received a beautiful letter from Ayman* in Morocco. Ayman shared how our early broadcasts comforted him at a difficult time, sparking a desire for God that has remained with him for almost two decades.

When asked who is the best actor, herself or her dad, 11-year-old Aya Mardass immediately replies, “Me!” The room quickly fills with laughter, with Aya’s amongst the loudest.

It is difficult to define religious freedom in Morocco. On the one hand, the Moroccan Constitution “guarantees the free exercise of worship for all.” On the other hand, the law does not allow Morocco’s estimated 4,000 to 8,000 local Christians to attend the approved churches.

SAT-7’s Communications Director, Mette Swartz, reflects on women’s rights and equality in the Middle East and North Africa. She cites a recent UN Women survey and discusses the role SAT-7 plays in creating a shift in the region.

Over the course of the last five weeks, we have seen how your support has helped generate change throughout the Middle East and North Africa. It is a change in the lives of real Middle Eastern people, individuals like you and me, all because of our short, on-demand programs, sometimes called “shorts.”

With a median age of 29, Morocco has a young population. But like youths in neighbouring North African countries, their horizons are limited.