Afghanistan (MNN) — SAT-7 PARS has released a new live program called Church4Afghanistan. Most Afghan viewers will see it on Facebook Live, but it will be broadcast on Instagram as well. The show is hosted by an Afghan pastor living in Germany.
Joe Willey with SAT-7 USA says, “Each week, he will be joined by different Afghan guests. They discuss current situations in Afghanistan but look through a biblical lens. And one of the true needs of isolated believers in the Middle East and North Africa is that they don’t have a church community. So a program like this helps connect them.”
In Afghanistan, like in the U.S., many people have access to the internet through computers or cell phones. Facebook is popular and not blocked or restricted like it is in neighboring Iran.
Church4Afghanistan programs are broadcasted in Dari, which is the preferred language of many Afghans. Willey says, “The Persian language is the trunk, and Dari or Farsi are limbs on that trunk. There are similarities, but they are not the same. Dari is the heart language of Afghanistan.”
Pray this program will support the Church in Afghanistan.
Worst place to be born
Afghans continue to endure severe hardship. UNICEF recently designated Afghanistan as the worst place in the world to be born. Willey says, “There’s violence. And there are restrictions on personal freedoms. The Taliban especially places heavy restrictions on women. And truthfully, new Christians are often abandoned by their families, and they can also be in physical danger.”
“It is a difficult place to express your Christian faith.”
Afghanistan has the world’s highest infant mortality rate at 257 deaths per 1,000 live births. About 70 percent of the population lacks clean water. With the Taliban running the country, it’s hard to vaccinate kids against polio or measles. In the past year, 317 schools were attacked across the country.
Header photo courtesy of SAT-7 USA.
