Jad*, a 17-year-old Syrian boy, called in to SAT-7 KIDS to tell his favourite presenter how much the channel’s programs mean to him. When he was displaced and kidnapped by militants in 2015, Jad says, recalling songs from a sing-along worship show brought him comfort.

With families anticipating an isolated Christmas at the end of a difficult year, SAT-7 Audience Relations staff have prepared a series of virtual “gifts” to encourage and support viewers across the Arabic-speaking world at this time when they need to feel the love of Emmanuel, God with us.

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.

“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.

Marianne Awaraji Daou, beloved SAT-7 Presenter for almost two decades, shares her thoughts, goals, and aspirations on her new parallel role as SAT-7’s Arabic Channels Audience Relations Manager, and the impact she hopes to make through audience engagement and support.

A new season of SAT-7 KIDS’ program Bedtime Stories is in the works with stories written by beloved My School teacher Grace Al Najjar. Grace shares how she hopes to bring the parables of Jesus closer to viewers’ hearts, to comfort children in these difficult times, grow their knowledge of Scripture, and develop their characters.

Special programs and humanitarian initiatives in the immediate aftermath of the blast were made possible by the outpouring of support by SAT-7 supporters. It also brought believers around the world together in prayer for Lebanon.

Amid the instability and humanitarian crisis still plaguing Syria, a spark of hope shines from a children’s centre in Damascus, where teachers use SAT-7 KIDS programs and songs to help teach a lifegiving curriculum to children who have witnessed conflict and gone through the upheaval of displacement.