Middle East (SAT-7) — As the violence in the Middle East continues and the refugee crisis shows little sign of improvement, SAT-7, a Christian satellite television ministry to the Middle East and North Africa, is preparing to launch a new season of the broadcast, Medicine and Life (in Arabic, al Tub wa al Haya).
Each 30-minute episode features expert advice on a range of physical and psychological issues affecting refugees and others living in poverty. Medicine and Life will air weekly 30-minute episodes, starting next month, for a year.
(Photo courtesy SAT-7)
The program will help viewers overcome symptoms of trauma, such as feelings of anger and fear. The program also helps support viewers as they deal with the practical difficulties of life in a refugee camp.
George Makeen, SAT-7’s Arabic Programming Director, said: “People want to take care of their health, but they don’t have access to healthcare and they don’t know whose advice they can trust.
“Refugees are living in circumstances that they are not used to: overcrowding, no heating, freezing winters, no running water, not enough food. Similar issues are facing poor people in the region. So the program will serve mainly the refugees, but a wider audience as well.” Makeen added, “Medicine and Life features experts from different countries giving good advice that viewers can trust.”
The program illustrates SAT-7’s commitment to holistic programming, as they seek to minister to the needs of their viewers in every area of life–especially in light of the severe humanitarian crisis facing the MENA region.
Millions have been displaced by conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Libya in what has been described as the worst refugee crisis since World War II. With host governments and aid agencies completely overwhelmed by the vast needs, SAT-7 is using its strategic platform to provide imaginative and alternative forms of support.
As well as health programs like Medicine and Life, SAT-7’s children’s channel is helping to meet the educational needs of youngsters who cannot go to school because of war and/or displacement. The current series of My School is providing daily “lessons” in math, Arabic, and English for 5-7 year olds.
(Photo courtesy SAT-7 via Facebook)
They know from visiting various refugee communities in the region that many already have access to satellite TV, but SAT-7 is working with partners on the ground to provide others with the equipment they need to enable people to watch our programs.
The SAT-7 TÜRK channel is also airing a program that gives practical advice on common medical ailments to viewers. Called The Doctor Is In (in Turkish, Doktor Var!), the show airs to a potential viewing audience of 50 million people in Turkey. It appeals to a wide audience in a country with a tiny minority of Christians, providing opportunities to dispel misconceptions about Christ amongst people of other faiths.
Above all else, SAT-7 provides brothers and sisters in the Middle East with the message of hope through Jesus Christ. When all else may seem lost, they know that God has not left them and that they are still loved. Pray with us that SAT-7 can minister to Middle Easterners not only through health education, but also with the message of Christ’s spiritual healing.
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[Editor’s note: Find the original article here.]
