“We can see it every day. The kids are suffering on social media, not only in sense of equality…but child abuse is one of the most important issues that we have right now in Iran. [That’s] not exactly only for girls, but it happens mostly to them,” Parastoo Poortaheri, the host and producer of A Girl’s World explains.

Challenges Girls Face

In the region where the show broadcasts, it is common for parents to abuse and hit their children. However, this is not the only form of abuse kids face. There are child laborers and children facing sexual abuse, too. These kids have few to no advocates. They are voiceless.

One societal norm which allows the abuse to continue is the honor and shame system. For example, in some cases, if a girl has been sexually abused and the family knows, fear of shame and a broken reputation keeps them from acting. Other times, kids are quiet or simply don’t know the abuse they’re experiencing is wrong.

(Header photo and photo courtesy of SAT-7)

“We have a program… specifically for young girls to tell them how to say no or how they have to actually protect themselves…that other people shouldn’t touch them…or how to say no actually to the things that they don’t want to do,” Poortaheri says.

“That is one of the most main problems that they don’t know how to say no even if they want to [say no], they just remain quiet…because [it is] something that is never taught really openly in Iran.”

Still, these are not topics SAT-7 PARS can immediately address. The program has had to slowly build into these topics. During the program, there is a segment dedicated to a psychologist who shares recommendations regarding the topics in the show. Furthermore, Poortaheri says there is nothing else like A Girl’s World currently airing on Iranian TV.

Then, the segment dedicated to the psychologists addresses these topics with the parents more openly. Most of the viewers watching A Girl’s World are dealing with the very topics being discussed. For this reason, it’s as though SAT-7 PARS is talking directly to the girls and their families.

Learning Self-Worth

In Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan girls are not encouraged to go to school, since the girl is expected to eventually get married. In these cultures, boys and men tend to have more opportunities than girls and women. Women and girls are left at home, comparing themselves to women on TV and social media. Many don’t have good role models. Poortaheri says plastic surgery is a major problem in Iran, where women and girls feel they just don’t measure up and that they are not valued. They are discontent with who they are.

‘A Girl’s World’ host Parastoo Poortaheri (Photo courtesy of SAT-7 USA)

“We [are] kind of trying to be their voice, to empower them, trying to help them, educating them in a really Biblical way and fun way. So, every issue that we talk [about]…we also talk about in the perspective of the Bible, what the Bible says about this topic,” Poortaheri says.

“We are different and God loves us the way we are. This is the most important message that we try to give them at the end of every program. That they are unique and God loves them so much.”

Many young viewers have contacted SAT-7 PARS about A Girl’s World. Kids share feedback and topics they hope to see discussed in the future on the programming. These young viewers have grown to trust SAT-7 PARS. They feel like they can share their problems and ask for guidance.

“Many parents…say the kids have been changed massively through this program. If we could just help one kid through our program to understand, to educate, to change their life, it’s something that is amazing for us.”

Get Involved

In the new season, A Girl’s World will focus on women of the Bible. Poortaheri says the new season will highlight powerful and brave women in the Bible with the intention to share more about God’s love. Through this new season, Poortaheri hopes to empower the young women watching.

And while the show targets topics relating to girls specifically, boys and parents watch the show too. This means not only are girls given a voice, empowered, and educated but boys are learning of the challenges half of their society faces. They are learning to understand and discover how they can make a difference.

Furthermore, SAT-7 PARS is building relationships with the audience of A Girl’s World through people like Poortaheri. Poortaheri says she will check in on audience members, send a message to those they have not heard from in a while, opening a two-way street for communication.

Pray for SAT-7’s work through SAT-7 PARS. Ask God to heal these young girls and women, and for them to find their value in Him. Pray for SAT-7’s programming to impact not only the girls but the families, too. Ask God to open their hearts and grow the seeds SAT-7 PARS is planting.

Another way to help is by financially partnering with SAT-7 PARS through SAT-7. The ministry needs resources to produce the quality content it airs. Will you help?

Financially come alongside SAT-7 here!

Want to learn more about A Girl’s World? Then, click here!

Header photo courtesy of SAT-7 USA.

(Photo courtesy SAT-7)

Lebanon (SAT-7) — Middle Eastern Christians chased from their homes are now refugees in neighboring countries. Fear and violence drove them to such places as Lebanon, Jordan, northern Iraq, and Turkey. After nearly 6 months of running from ISIS, their lives are forever changed. Across the Middle East, you can find rows of tents, covered with plastic and burlap bags, sheltering millions of Iraqi and Syrian refugees.

Recently, a SAT-7* team visited one of these camps in Lebanon and met a little boy, *Annas. One member of the SAT-7 Audience Relations team reported, “Annas was very shy. He seemed so lost in his soul. He told me how radicals had gunned down 16 members of his family before his eyes. Annas was hit in the shoulder. He fell to the ground and pretended to be dead for hours, until he knew it was safe.”

(Photo courtesy SAT-7)

Many of the children who now live in refugee camps have been through terrible circumstances, but hope shines through. Although they are far away from their homes, most refugee children know about SAT-7 and have access to satellite television. It is very common to see lines of refugee tents with satellite receivers on the roofs.

To millions in the Middle East, SAT-7 is a lifeline, connecting Christians with their homeland and their people. For isolated Christians, SAT-7 may be their only source of teaching and fellowship. SAT-7 brings news of current events to displaced families and is a safe place for kids, bringing HOPE to all.

*SAT-7 is a Christian satellite television ministry to the Middle East and North Africa. To see the SAT-7 family (SAT-7PARS, SAT-7TURK, SAT-7Arabic, SAT-7 KIDS), click here.

The SAT-7 PARS team put their full weight behind the New Year celebration, rehearsing late into the night and coming back to the studio at 4:30am to film. As the excitement grew while they prepared for the live program, the team stopped and spent a few minutes in prayer. During the show, the team rang in the New Year with hosts Reza and Nikoo reciting poetry and taking viewer calls, singers performing live, and special appearances from the Executive Director and Parastoo from the kids show Gardooneh. During a commercial break, the team wished one another "Norouz Mubarak," meaning "Happy New Year!"

A number of symbolic traditions mark this ancient celebration of the spring equinox. In preparation for family visits, Iranians clean carpets and furniture, buy new clothes, paint eggs, and decorate a table in the home that includes seven symbolic items beginning with the Farsi letter "s." Among them are wheat or barley symbolizing new growth, eggs symbolizing fertility, and coins symbolizing prosperity. The host gives guests small gifts to take home.

The Executive Director of SAT-7 PARS explained that there is a special level of excitement surrounding the New Year. I asked, "What about Christmas and Easter?" While these holidays are very important to Iranian believers, she said these are not necessarily happy memories for her and many other Iranians because they associate them with increased oppression.

During the past year, people in Iran have weathered a number of challenging developments in the country. Inflation, unemployment, and the blocking of technology have weighed heavily on the quality of life for many Iranians. In spite of this environment, numbers show that the Iranian Church is growing. This is due partly to a blossoming house church movement. The Executive Director of SAT-7 PARS hopes that SAT-7 programming will take believers to new levels of spiritual growth and maturity. This is done, in large part, through a SAT-7 PARS program series called "Seminary of the Air" (SOTA).

With all the reflection and hopefulness that accompanies the turn of a New Year, Iranian believers are an encouraging testimony as they assemble to study the Bible and worship at great risk. SAT-7 seeks to provide culturally-relevant programming to viewers, and the SAT-7 PARS team puts forth an incredible effort to provide Christian entertainment to audiences during the Norouz holiday.

According to Bos News, Hamideh Najafi, a former Muslim, was arrested December 16 by three officers at her home in the city of Mashhad, 850 kilometres (530 miles) east of the capital Tehran.

FCNN quoted Najafi's husband as saying she would be charged with "contacting foreign Christian television networks" under new legislation regarding "political crimes." Her books, compact disks and hand-painted portraits of Jesus Christ were taken as "evidence," Christians said.

Najafi's family has not been allowed to contact the woman since her arrest, which was ordered by the Revolutionary Court of Mashhad, FCNN added. "There has been no telephone contact or visitation granted to the family."

Najafi was prevented from meeting her family Monday, January 4, nearly three weeks after she was detained by police for allegedly contacting foreign Christian broadcasters.

However, President of SAT 7 USA Dr. Rex M. Rogers says, "Those kinds of things happen periodically, and the Christian people must be careful in the pursuance of their faith."

While SAT 7 PARS wasn't the organization the Iranian mother contacted, Rogers says many Christians in Iran do contact their ministry. "We get feedback from text messages, from e-mail, periodically for other kinds of contact, and we know, from some individuals who go in and out of Iran, that the church is growing."

Growth is also happening despite political tensions. Yesterday, Iran arrested more than 180 following last month's anti-government protests. Eight people were killed in those posts. Rogers says, "But in the midst of that, God works. He works in times of adversity. He works in times of persecution, and the church advances."

Rogers seems excited about the number of Iranians interested in Christ. He says since Jesus is mentioned in the Quran, "They are open to the Gospel. They're open to Christian truth, and they don't understand, because they've never been taught, about a God who loves and a God who forgives."

SAT 7 depends on people like you to help them broadcast in Iran through SAT 7 PARS, their Persian-speaking broadcast. Funding for air-time for their ministry is greatly needed, as the ministry airs programming commercial-free. Your gift of support can make an eternal difference in the lives of Christians in the Middle East.

SAT-7's David Harder says young people are searching for hope. He says they're already concerned about the economy and their future. "More sanctions for them will just mean one more thing that makes the future outlook more difficult, so many people are spiritually searching. They're wondering, and they're not finding answers. And they're using their satellite dishes to get information that they couldn't get any other way."

According to Harder, satellite television even more than the internet is better at helping them get that information. "Internet windows are often shut down by the government. Satellite television is actually technically illegal, but so many people have it the government can't do hardly anything about it except make examples of people once in a while by issuing fines. So people continue to set them up. So, SAT-7 can bring the hope of the Gospel right into their own homes even in their living rooms."

While the current president isn't very popular with any segment of the population, Harder says he's concerned about the sanctions. "Unfortunately with more sanctions, sometimes that drives people to go back and support the regime they otherwise wouldn't out of a national pride. Hopefully more people won't go that direction, and people who are searching will tune into SAT-7 Pars and receive spiritual nourishment and answers."

Young people need answers. He says drug use and suicide rates are high in Iran. Harder is asking people to pray. "Pray that the youth who are searching will find their answers in Christ and they'll find SAT-7 Pars. Also pray for the people who are making the shows that they would have wisdom from the Lord to make shows that would really reach people's hearts."

Meanwhile, prayer is also needed to help recruit enough people to help with the programming and for funding. Funding is needed to help keep this programming on the air.

If you'd like to help SAT-7 PARS or SAT-7's other ministries, click here.