Women in Afghanistan

March 2014 . Women of Hope broadcasts in more than 60 languages. PH’s monthly prayer requests are used in 79 languages.

Delivering Hope to In the past decade, women in Afghanistan have been given the right to get an education, vote, serve in government, work outside the home, and own businesses. However, in reality, most women and girls are still vulnerable to forced marriages, domestic violence, rape, severe poverty, and violent attacks if they seek an education. Some women and girls still choose suicide as a way to escape their horrible circumstances.

Despite gains in maternal mortality, Afghanistan is still among the world’s toughest countries in which to be a mother. Only 40 percent of births are assisted by trained medical personnel, according to the World Health Organization. Hospitals are treating many severely malnourished children, and some doctors believe the main cause is a lack of breast feeding in a country where clean water is limited and most milk is powdered.

In rural areas, there are few, if any, places to go for medical or social help. A radio program offering advice from doctors, psychologists, social workers, and female politicians would give women and their families vital information for healthy lives. Research by BBC Media Action found that 55 percent of women surveyed had listened to the BBC-sponsored Afghan Women’s Hour program before in was canceled in 2010. Research also found that 39 percent of the listeners were men.

Radio ownership was around 80 percent in 2012, and radio continues to remain the leading form of communication technology in Afghanistan. Radio listenership is higher in rural areas (80 percent) compared with urban areas (65 percent), where TV ownership is an alternative.

As TWR’s PANI project beams God’s Word to millions in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and North India, Project Hannah plans to start airing Women of Hope programs in the Dari and Pashto languages, spoken by many of the people in this region.

Imore of the estimated 10 million children enrolled in school will actually be allowed by their parents to attend school. Many children must work to help provide for the family.

24. More than 2 million orphans and street children in Afghanistan to find shelter and refuge with relatives, friends or in orphanages. Even if a child is fortunate enough to live in an orphanage, she still faces food shortages, lack of healthcare, and cold nights. May God “defend the cause of the fatherless and the widow” (Deut. 10:18).

25. Women who are in prison for the “crime” of being raped or talking to a man who is not a relative. Pray also for women who fear the wrath of their families, which may lead to so-called “honor killings” or acid burning.

26. Women who have been oppressed in Afghanistan to find love and acceptance from their Heavenly Father so that they can become all that the Lord has created them to be. Pray that they will be able to forgive the perpetrators of the violence against them.

27. Mothers and nurses caring for children who have been maimed by mines and require extensive medical care and support for the rest of their lives. One-third of the victims of the more than 10 million land mines planted in Afghanistan are estimated to be children.

28. Women controlled by superstitions and fear. “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe!” (Proverbs 29:25).

29. TWR’s new PANI transmitting site as it begins airing God’s Word to listeners in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and North India. Pray for the Women of Hope programs in the Dari and Pashto languages to be heard by women seeking to know the truth about God.

30. Laws would be enforced and people would be punished for selling girls to pay a financial debt or for murder, adultery, and elopement committed by her family members.

31. Young Afghan widows who lose everything, even their children, if they remarry. Some women commit suicide rather than live the horrible life of a widow. Pray for widows who must work as servants for family members and are often abused.

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M A R C H 2 0 1 4 P R AY I N G F O R W O M E N I N A F G H A N I S TA N

1. The Women of Hope programs in the Pashto and Dari languages to be heard by many in Afghanistan and Pakistan and to be available on the Internet for Afghans dispersed around the globe.

2. People in Afghanistan to have the freedom to choose their religion, express personal beliefs, distribute literature, and listen to Christian radio programs. Radios are found in abundance, and the programs communicating the message of God’s redeeming love and mercy can reach into homes of women who live in fear. Pray that these women will know the truth, and the truth will set them free (John 8:32).

3. Women and girls who are still vulnerable to domestic violence, rape, and early or forced marriage. If they run away, they can be arrested, accused of adultery, and sentenced without representation. If they refuse the demands of their father, brother, husband or mother-in-law, they are often beaten, burned or killed.

4. The scriptwriters who are producing Women of Hope scripts that will be understood in cultures where the Pashto and Dari languages are spoken.

5. Women and girls who are forced to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM), traditionally known as female circumcision. Family and cultural pressure is a constant struggle for these young women and girls.

6. Afghan women and girls who attempt suicide by dousing themselves with petrol and setting themselves on fire. These individuals can no longer tolerate the humiliation of being sold to a man 20 to 40 years older and then suffer being beaten, starved and controlled by their husband’s family.

7. Afghan women to become “daughters of the King” rather than slaves to their oppressors. Pray that as they find their identity in Christ, they will be able to overcome their circumstances.

8. Girls and women to be allowed to go to school so they can better care for their families. There are few professionally trained teachers in the rural areas and very few female teachers available to teach the girls.

9. Project Hannah’s prayer partners to have a renewed sense of urgency of their call to pray for abused and oppressed women in the world. Project Hannah’s monthly prayer requests are translated into 79 languages.

10. The Holy Spirit to encounter leaders in Afghanistan in a supernatural way in order to reveal Jesus, as He did with Saul. Pray for the Spirit of God to open blind eyes, soften hearts, convict of sin, and create new life (Acts 9:3-6).

11. The many families who have been destroyed by the drug trade in Afghanistan. In the past, the country was the world’s largest exporter of hashish and the second major supplier of opium. Pray that they will understand the destruction these crops bring and begin producing food for their families. Many women use drugs as an escape from the grim reality of immense suffering and loss.

12. Understanding for listeners who have difficulty with the concepts of grace, forgiveness, and repentance (Ephesians 2:8-9).

13. Job opportunities for Afghan widows. The average age of Afghan widows is 35, and 94 percent of them are illiterate. Most of the widows have several children to support. Pray they will have the opportunity to hear about God’s love for them.

14. The women who have never once heard that God knows and loves them (Psalm 139:1-3). Give thanks that you have heard and have trusted in Christ. “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1).

15. God’s strength and wisdom for Project Hannah’s Women of Hope production teams as they translate and contextualize programs in the heart languages of listeners so that God can speak to them and change their lives for his glory.

16. Afghanis who walk three to four days to attend Bible study classes. Pray for their protection and safety. Because of fear and suspicion, many Afghan believers do not meet in groups, but they find help and encouragement through Christian radio programs. Praise God for the small Christian congregations that are slowly developing in Afghanistan.

17. The lack of qualified female staff, especially obstetricians and gynecologists, that greatly affects health services for females and increases the maternal mortality rate. Give thanks that more midwives are now available and more women are aware that clinics can help save their babies’ lives.

18. The Women of Hope radio program to offer encouragement, health information, and God’s love to the isolated women of Afghanistan. Created by women for women, this program offers life-giving counsel on family situations, personal issues, child rearing, and healthy lifestyles. Project Hannah then comes alongside with related spiritual teaching, presenting biblical truth, and introducing these women to the Savior.

19. Women struggling with depression to experience that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and that he saves those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18).

20. The increased availability and provision of radios, especially for women who are unable to afford such devices, so that they can hear the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.

21. The men who listen to Women of Hope programs. Many of the letters we receive come from men who thank us for helping them understand their wives and know how better to care for them.

22. Increased access to healthcare and education to reduce health risks. Fifty to 70 mothers die every day from birth complications in Afghanistan (UNICEF). Pray for adequate shelter, food, and clothing for these women and their babies.

23. More girls to safely receive an education. Pray that

Pl e a s e p r a y f o r . . .