(Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)

Bryan Haley with Kenya Hope points to climate change: “Even this last season of drought that we’re just coming out of was more severe than it would have been had they missed their short rain season a decade or two ago.” 

No surprises: drought brings livestock losses, crop failure, hunger, and worse. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification projects that between April and June, 3.7 million Kenyans in the country’s Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) will face crisis levels (or higher) of acute food insecurity. Already, 3.3 million people are in this stage of emergency.

Kenya Hope has already stepped into the crisis with practical, long-term help. Haley explains that one of the first things they do when they enter a community is drill a borehole well. They currently serve 17 distinct communities in Kenya. 

One woman recently told Haley she hadn’t recognized the effects of the water her family collected from local rivers and dams. 

“They didn’t realize how sick their kids were — waterborne illnesses like diarrhea and all of these different things,” says Haley. “But as soon as they had clean, safe drinking water, those health issues were erased.”

As part of Kenya Hope’s long-term maintenance of each well, local families contribute to a small fund to support the well’s upkeep.

“So their community is actively engaged in providing for the services to keep it ongoing and to keep it accessible for their entire community, which is really just a beautiful thing to see people participate in,” says Haley.

One particular community has always used this river as its source of water. They have never known anything different. Today, this community now has clean, clear water!
(Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)

A well is more than just water. 

“It’s an automatic level of trust that you’re earning when people are just not sick anymore because of something simple, like water,” Haley explains. 

“Clean water really opens the door to education, food security, dignity for widows, and increasing income. And that all leads [to] or is the chance to share the hope of the gospel or living water.”

Would you prayerfully consider supporting Kenya Hope’s future well projects? Visit kenyahope.org to learn more. 

“When someone helps fund a well in Kenya, they’re not just giving water, but they are giving children a safer childhood and a healthier future,” says Haley. “It really impacts an entire community with just a few dollars.”

Kenya: Acute Food Insecurity Situation for January – March 2026 (left) and Projection for April – June 2026 (right). (Map courtesy of IPC)

Header photo courtesy of Kenya Hope.

Lana Silk of Transform Iran describes the reality facing children in the country, including those caught up in the protests.

“The children are caught up in it. Children as young as 10, 11, and 12 have been part of the protests [and] have been arrested and killed. I’ve heard reports of girls as young as 12 being raped in custody. The government is indiscriminate.”

(Photo courtesy of Transform Iran)

Silk says children in Iran are dealing with multi-layered trauma, and need Jesus more than ever.

“Children are…very aware that they have no future in this country and have grown up sooner than you would normally want your 10-, 11-, 12-year-old to grow up and are aware that this is a necessary fight to secure their own future.”

Transform Iran is discipling believers in the Iranian underground Church. Christian children in Iran have been forced to live double lives under the oppressive Islamist regime.

“They have to profess Islam at school, recite the Quran, hide their faith, and then come home and have a Christian life,” Silk explains. “So that is very, very taxing for children when they’ve got to constantly remember who they can say what to, and try to muddle through and remember what’s true and what’s right.”

As you continue to pray for Iran, Silk asks believers to remember the youngest generation.

“I want us to remember the children and to be praying specifically for them…. This is the future of Iran. [Pray] that there will be stability in the future of Iran.

“Jesus does appear to people in dreams and visions in Iran! Let that be the children – that these children have encounters that they can talk about when they’re older and say, ‘Oh my goodness. While it was all happening, I remember that man in white that came to me in my dreams,’ and for that generation to be redeemed.”

Learn more about Transform Iran’s ministry at transformiran.com.

Header photo courtesy of Transform Iran.

“People are losing a lot of hope in their countries’ education future, so they tend to give up,” El-Mounayer says. 

SAT-7 staff point kids to Christ while standing in their shoes, as many ministry team members have personal experience with displacement or refugee status. El-Mounayer recalls her own experience growing up in Lebanon:

“I was not a refugee, but I was displaced many times, and all I wanted was for somebody to tell me there is hope.” 

Praise God that the hope of Christ knows no bounds! Please pray that it will reach MENA’s young people before the increasingly radicalized messaging of their cultural environment takes hold. If the Gospel is not preached, El-Mounayer says we lose. 

“We lose this generation that is becoming so confused between the message of extreme hate and the message of extreme love,” she points out. 

Primarily through social media platforms, SAT-7 ministry team members routinely take questions from young people about the love and forgiveness of God. 

“They ask us, ‘Love? God is love?’ They ask us, ‘Forgiveness? We should forgive people who hurt us?’ And we’re very honest when we answer that it’s really not easy – especially in the Middle East when there are many enemies around. But people feel and respect this honesty,” she says. 

After connecting with youth via social messaging apps, the ministry’s next step is to connect them with a viewer support team. 

“They try to connect with the people. They try to answer their questions. They try to pray with them. And then at the end, when we feel it’s safe – specifically their safety – we connect them to a local church or underground church,” El-Mounayer says. 

Please pray for much spiritual fruit from SAT-7’s ministry to children. Learn more about their work here. 

“We are on our knees praying because we really believe that it’s not our work at the end,” El-Mounayer says. “It’s the work of the Holy Spirit.” 

Courtesy of Ahmed Akacha via Pexels. Featured image courtesy of Oussama Ben Slama via Pexels.

Header photo: Courtesy of Oussama Ben Slama via Pexels.

Christian World Outreach’s (CWO) Greg Yoder says, “There’s been over 600 that have died, and there’s still a lot of missing people. With flooding, that’s always an issue because people are buried and that kind of thing.”

(Photo courtesy of CWO)

Roads and bridges are washed out, cutting off whole villages. Tragedy struck a CWO partner church when one family couldn’t access a hospital, and their infant daughter died from a medical emergency.

CWO is ministering to grieving families and meeting needs where they can. Yoder says, “Probably we’re going to need to do food assistance because flooding has caused damage to their farms, and we’ve already heard that prices are rising for food.”

Amidst the crisis, the season of Christmas presents an opportunity for CWO to bring relief and hope to children impacted by flooding.

“During this time of year, Christmas, we’ll give them a Christmas gift,” says Yoder. “It’ll have things that they can use, like notebooks, pens, and pencils. Those that don’t have shoes, we’ll give them shoes [and] things they need along with a food package. That’s, again, just an opportunity to share with these children, which actually ministers to the families.”

Pray with CWO for families in Sri Lanka.

“A lot of those children are Buddhist or Hindu, and so it opens the door to share Christ with them, and we just pray that God will open their eyes to the truth.”

You can also tangibly support CWO’s Gospel ministry in Sri Lanka.

Header photo courtesy of CWO.

“These armed groups are infiltrating schools, communities and manipulating kids as well as their families – their moms and dads – with promises of money, with future opportunity, protection and a better life, which is simply untrue. The numbers really are staggering. Last year alone, Columbia recorded 600 cases of child recruitment. And that is such a low number compared with reality. Many humanitarian groups are estimating that the number is closer to 1000s of children.”

Displaced and Vulnerable

The violence has displaced many of the families AMG serves in Soacha and Cali. This pushes them into deep poverty and which makes them more vulnerable to armed groups. Additionally, these groups are increasingly targeting kids in public schools and major cities rather than solely relying on their previous technique of kidnappings.

(Photo is a representative stock image courtesy of Alejandro Jovica via Pexels.)

“Boys are recruited as fighters or as couriers, and girls are frequently subjected to sexual violence,” Dennett says. “We’ve heard of armed groups even using kids as human shields in altercations. Just that happened weeks ago in Guaviare, where nineteen people had been killed in a military operation. Among those nineteen were seven children.”

Child Development Centers with AMG

AMG runs a child development center in Cacau, Colombia where children can be physically safe from the violence while they learn, are mentored, and cared for spiritually. The staff there has been able to work with local churches to help protect kids.

“In another case, we had a 16-year-old boy was sent to Soacha because armed groups were targeting him directly. Though he was too old for sponsorship in AMG, he found a place to belong, to heal, to grow spiritually at our center and be mentored.”

(Photo is courtesy of AMG International.)

Just like they have for that boy, AMG has offered countless children a place to thrive despite violence and pain. Dennet notes that their staff operates in difficult places and dangerous circumstances. However, God is at work!

“We’re offering security and safety, education, hot meals, spiritual formation and a lot of love – a place for these children to belong. And for many of these children, these centers are the difference between being targeted by the groups and being safe and protected. Really the difference between despair and hope.”

Please pray for these children. If you’d like to help support AMG financially, click here.

Header photo is courtesy of AMG International.

FMI’s Patrick Anthony says this Christian leader has made several trips into various Muslim-majority communities still recovering from a devastating earthquake two years ago. On one recent visit, he distributed clothing to children in a remote village.

“They said they were doing this in the spirit of Christmas, that it’s because of really Christmas that they were giving these gifts to the kids,” Anthony says. “It was fascinating because the kids didn’t know what Christmas is.”

Children in Morocco. (Photo courtesy of Andrea Nieblas/Unsplash)

The local families in these villages are Muslim “by ritual.” However, they are unfamiliar with Islamic teachings, much less the Christian message of the Gospel.

The ministry leader told them, “God commands us to love all people. It doesn’t matter where we come from. He wants all to receive salvation.”

When he shared the Christmas message of Jesus with kids and their families, they asked him to come back.

Anthony says, “They want to know more about this Jesus. The children asked him, ‘Well, who is this Messiah? Is he Santa Claus?’

“He explained a little bit. But he also has to be careful, especially on his first visit, because there are spies for security forces and things. That’s common in Morocco.”

Even so, interest is growing — and so is opportunity. Trust is forming. Conversations are beginning. The ministry leader hopes to return soon, continuing both aid distribution and deeper discussions about who Jesus is.

An alleyway in Morocco. (Photo courtesy of Mathieu Gauzy/Unsplash)

Anthony urges prayer “for the villagers, people who have never really heard about Jesus. They know nothing about Christmas. Pray for their eyes and ears to be open to the Gospel.”

You can also bless FMI’s ministry with tangible support. “Morocco is one of our partner countries,” Anthony adds. “So funds can be given for Morocco to cover tangible resources, and we can help those ministry leaders purchase some of those relief needs.”

Pray for boldness, protection, and wisdom as ministry leaders reenter these communities. Ask God to use simple Christmas gifts to spark eternal transformation.

Header photo: Mountains in Morocco. (Photo courtesy of Imane/Unsplash)

*Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the Christian ministry partner is supported by FMI. He is not an FMI partner, simply a friend of the ministry.

One ministry taking that danger seriously is ZimZam Global, a church-planter training organization that approaches children’s discipleship first.

“With the rise of terror groups in Africa, you would realize that the most affected people are children,” says Francis Kataka Kubondo with ZimZam Global. “Wherever there is an attack, definitely the children suffer most.” 

Children’s school attendance and church and family life all come under threat when terrorists strike. Some may be exploited in the worst of ways.

Children are also vulnerable to accepting Islamic State jihadism themselves. Kubondo explains that extremists will sometimes enter communities the same way that Christians do. They might offer humanitarian aid or school sponsorship, gaining influence.

(Photo courtesy of Fatima Yusuf via Unsplash)

“They target areas where people are poor, [they] target area[s] where there is some form of instability, and then they present themselves as a solution,” he says. 

Yet there is a crucial difference: “For Christianity, we are driven by love, as opposed to the Islamists, who are driven by fear.” 

ZimZam Global’s vision is a church for every child. Today, they serve in Africa, Latin America, and South Asia, and their reach is expanding.

“Most [other] church planting trainings focus on adults, but for us, we do it the other way around. We first of all reach out to children, and then through children, the church planter can gain access to family and then through family, now a church can be birthed,” says Kubondo.

The next generations in Africa are on the line, so please pray! Pray that instead of being exposed to Islamic extremism, many more children in Africa will accept Christ, join God’s family and serve His good Kingdom purposes. Pray for more believers to join the work to reach children for Christ in Africa. Pray for resources ZimZam Global needs to carry this mission forward. 

“Our biggest cry in Africa is for God to provide opportunities in His own ways so that we can move up to the northern part of Africa and share the goodness of Christ in those areas,” says Kubondo. “As of now, the engagement is very low.” 

Header photo is a representative stock photo courtesy of Michael Ali via Unsplash. 

Meanwhile, the people wait in limbo. Heart for Lebanon’s Camille Melki says, “The majority of those (people) are living now in makeshift homes still in southern Lebanon, waiting for their towns and villages to be rebuilt.”

Lebanon’s Next Generation is especially at risk. Roughly half of Lebanon’s public schools were converted into shelters at the end of 2024 due to the war between Hezbollah and Israel.

“A lot of children count on ministries to provide aid to survive the hardship or education, and Heart for Lebanon provides both,” Melki says.

“We provide fun activities and educational material, and we help children deal with trauma, fears, and challenges.”

Heart for Lebanon’s holistic approach to education turns despair into hope. Learn more about that here.

“We offer counseling support, spiritual support, and we are always ready to answer this ‘Why?’ question: Why do you care? Why do you provide this aid for us? Why are you still working in southern Lebanon, where most agencies have left?” Melki says.

“The answer is always, ‘We are here to show you the love of Jesus Christ in meaningful and tangible ways.’”

(Photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)

Classroom lessons, chapel sessions, and afternoon Bible studies point to Christ, while the playground provides opportunities for children to live out what they’ve learned.

“We build biblical stories into our curriculum to address many character traits that we find in Scripture, such as forgiveness, encouragement, generosity, fairness, and equality,” Melki says.

“We also have fun activities geared toward using games and fun in a way that honors Christ,” he continues, “so even as children are playing in the playground or participating in a sports activity, we use the character traits to emphasize proper behaviors, like attitude towards others, winning or losing, and to play fair and have fun.”

Find out how you can partner with Heart for Lebanon here.

“Pray for the students we serve. Pray for their families, because the challenges are huge and prayers are essential for us,” Melki says.

“Also, you can sponsor a student and help provide financial support to our schools in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa, or our scholarship program.”

Header and story images courtesy of Heart for Lebanon.

Kurt Rovenstine with Bibles for China explains, “Proselytizing kids in China is against regulations and policies, and it’s pretty closely monitored.” 

Whether you’re a Christian or a Chinese Communist Party member, it’s clear why kids are so important: “You affect kids, you change a generation,” says Rovenstine. 

Christians want the next generation to know Jesus personally. The Chinese government has different goals. This summer, officials in Shanghai trained kids to reject the religious groups the government has deemed illegal or xie jiao (“evil cults”).

(Photo courtesy of Jerry Wang via Unsplash)

Bibles for China works legally in China, without opposing the government. But Rovenstine says the situation calls for prayer and action. 

“Anytime there’s a challenge, God equips His people with creativity, opens doors and creates avenues for the gospel to move forward in spite of what is inhibiting it,” Rovenstine says. 

Today, Bibles for China is printing children’s Bibles in Mandarin outside the country, plus other resources. These can be carried into China by hand.

“I had an email [recently] from the gentleman that took some of our children’s Bibles. He’s been sharing them with people that are headed back to China, and they’re taking them back two and three at a time,” Rovenstine says. This method isn’t a problem because the Chinese government “is just trying to make sure they’re not being printed and distributed in mass.”

Pray that every Bible and resource reaches the right family and child at the right time with the good news of Christ!

Pray that God will open the eyes of kids being taught false things about God. Pray that they will look for truth and find it in Scripture. 

Header photo is a representative stock image courtesy of Note Thanun/Unsplash. 

Now imagine sending your child to school for the first time in a brand-new country — in the middle of a war.

Beit Hallel Congregation’s Back to School Project (Screenshot courtesy of Beit Hallel Congregation)

That’s the reality for thousands of Jewish immigrant families in Israel this fall.

Beit Hallel Congregation in Ashdod recently ran its annual Back to School Project, which helps immigrants and low-income families who are struggling to afford the basics.

Pastor Israel Pochtar with Beit Hallel Congregation says, “For those who are new in Israel and not well established…they struggle financially to send their kids to school. The needs are bigger than in a normal year when there’s peace.”

The church distributed backpacks and school supplies, turning the project into a celebration. Pochtar says, “We had an opportunity to tell every family and every kid that the help comes from Christians. You’re not alone in this world, but you have Christian friends. You have people who pray for you, stand with you, [and] give.

“This practical help, it’s such an expression of the love of God, and love of Christians who help you in the name of God and the name of Jesus.”

Beit Hallel Congregation’s Back to School Project (Screenshot courtesy of Beit Hallel Congregation)

Nearly all the families who benefit are Jewish immigrants from countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Ethiopia.

“They are not Christians; they’re Jewish. But they hear about us, they hear about our organization and our congregation. They know we are helping people unconditionally, and they come to receive help, and they’re grateful to learn more about that.”

Beyond physical needs, Beit Hallel Congregation seeks to calm fears and encourage children.

“We see kids are nervous. Kids are under stress. So we’re talking to them, encouraging them, telling them stories of others who’ve been in the same situation. It really encourages them and makes it easier for them,” says Pochtar.

Although the main distribution is complete, the project continues in smaller ways as new immigrant families arrive daily. Neighboring cities like Ashkelon and Beersheba have even asked for help after seeing Beit Hallel Congregation’s efforts online.

Beit Hallel Congregation’s Back to School Project (Screenshot courtesy of Beit Hallel Congregation)

“If there are friends who want to help, they are welcome to join,” Pochtar says. “There’s still opportunity!”

Donate to Beit Hallel Congregation’s Back to School Project.

Above all, he asks for prayer. “Pray for us. Pray for Israel. Pray for Jewish people and our team in Israel who are working hard to be a blessing and a light.”

Header photo: Beit Hallel Congregation’s Back to School Project (Screenshot courtesy of Beit Hallel Congregation)