Millions of children who have been displaced by the conflict in Syria are facing a bleak future because of missing out on schooling. From this summer, SAT-7 ACADEMY, a new educational TV channel from SAT-7 – the Christian broadcaster – will bring hope to these children, and to millions more out-of-school kids across the Middle East and North Africa. Many Syrian refugees are already watching an educational program, My School, which is currently broadcast on the SAT-7 KIDS channel five days a week and watched by over 1.3 million children. So the opportunity that SAT-7 ACADEMY presents can be truly life-changing for many children, as well as for parents and teachers throughout the region.
More than 21 million Arabic-speaking children – one in five in the region – are at risk of missing out on an education. 13 million are out of school altogether. These children are fast becoming a “lost generation” that is extremely vulnerable to radicalisation. Schools in countries that have accepted large numbers of refugees are overcrowded and struggling to serve displaced children or their peers from host communities.
From the Summer 2017 SAT-7 ACADEMY will bring hope to displaced and underprivileged children, and provide vital support for their parents and teachers. It aims to support and complement, not to replace, classroom-based learning where it is available. Dr Terence Ascott, Chief Executive Officer of SAT-7, spoke of the channel’s potential impact: “One viewer can grow up to be a real instrument of change in their society.” Rita Elmounayer, Deputy Chief Executive Officer said, “If we do not invest in education that teaches not only knowledge but tolerance, based on internationally recognised values, others will invest in teaching conflicting values. And we have seen the result of that: radicalism, extremism, and insurgency.”
Source: SAT-7 News
Bible Study: Isaiah 54:13
JUNE: PRAISE GOD for the vision of SAT-7 and its network of TV stations in the Middle East and North Africa. Give thanks for seed-sowing in the hearts of millions. Pray it will continue to meet the needs of so many out-of-school
children.