Beneath the conflicts and oppression Iran’s government is embroiled in, Lana Silk with Transform Iran wants you to see kids whom Jesus loves.

“When you talk about a young life with natural dreams, desires, wanting to express themselves, wanting to have a say over their own future and destiny, then the children are really suffering here because they are limited in all those options, especially if they are girls,” Silk explains. 

The Center for Human Rights in Iran released a November 20 report on what kids from Iran’s minority ethnic and religious groups endure. The report names poverty, abuse, child marriages, child labor and worse. 

In that sobering context, Transform Iran serves to spread the gospel among children in Iran and Afghanistan. Silk highlights the additional cultural pressure that Christian kids experience.

(Photo courtesy of Transform Iran)

“Imagine a child who knows Jesus. Their family might even be involved in the underground church. Now they’re in school, and they’re being invited into discussion on Islamic theology. They’re having to pray the namaz, the Islamic prayers,” Silk says.

“The whole time, they’ve got to be careful not to give away their faith or their parents’ faith, because the repercussions can be extremely serious.” 

Schooling in Iran is heavily Islamic. Christian parents have to help their kids navigate their only chance at an education. The conflicting messages are a lot for a child to sort through. 

“Think about 6, 7, 8, 9-year-old children saying, ‘Mom, why do I have to pray these prayers? Why do I have to learn all these things that I know are not true?’”

(Photo courtesy of Transform Iran)

Would you pray for the next generation of Iran and partner with Transform Iran to reach them? 

The ministry leads weekend outreaches to strengthen Christian kids and give them a community. It’s a space for them to come and “[learn] about prayer, about relationship with Jesus, about what he has to say about them, about identity, about how we make godly choices, all through interaction and play.” 

These outreaches are done in refugee communities outside of Iran as well as on a smaller scale within homes in Afghanistan and Iran. You can be part of it!

“Pray for them, pray informed — pray specifically about their needs,” Silk says, “Then help us to meet their needs. This Christmas, we are working hard to raise funds to reach 1,000 children of Iran, to strengthen them through these weekly outreach programs, to give them humanitarian aid where they need it, to give them resources.” 

Learn more about children of Iran and join this Operation Christmas Joy initiative at Transform Iran’s website.

Header photo of a boy in Tehran, Iran is a representative stock photo courtesy of Fateme Alaei via Unsplash.