NIGERIA, AFRICA — Mary*, 20 years old, was in church when Fulani militants attacked. In her village in northwestern Nigeria, there is always the threat of attacks from Islamic extremists. However, this does not prepare the community for the reality of experiencing an attack. Mary*: They attack Christians because we worship Jesus and they want…
NIGERIA, AFRICA — Mary* from Nigeria was kidnapped by Fulani militants and experienced awful violence and sexual assault at their hands. After she was freed, Open Doors partners cared for her at a trauma care centre where she found peace. Sadly, shortly after Mary shared her story with us, she died from an unrelated illness…
LATIN AMERICA — Domestic violence is a widespread problem in the region, and evangelical churches are actively working to combat it in their communities. Many ministries in Latin America are carrying out initiatives and programs to prevent it, as well as to support the victims Domestic violence is a serious problem in many Latin American…
NIGERIA — In the 2014 Nigeria kidnappings, Boko Haram kidnapped over 270 girls from their school in Chibok in northern Nigeria. Nine years on, nearly 100 girls are still missing, and their parents are in agony. Open Doors speaks to those mothers and fathers as they continue to deal with the trauma of their children…
NIGERIA — This month, Leah Sharibu from Nigeria turns 20. Her teenage years were spent mostly in captivity after bravely refusing to renounce Jesus after she was among more than 100 girls kidnapped in February 2018. Open Doors caught up with her mother, Rebecca, to find out how she and her husband are doing as…
AFGHANISTAN — Sitara* was already studying in a different country when the Taliban forcibly took control of Afghanistan in August 2021. Here she shares what life is like for the women who remain in Afghanistan. *Name changed for security reasons. Sitara* – Afghanistan Christian: Taliban took Afghanistan and everything changed, like the days changed to…
WILLS POINT, TX — Mission agency Gospel for Asia (GFA World) is challenging people to “pray tenaciously for the world’s vulnerable women like never before” — including the more than 250,000 women and girls who’ve disappeared without a trace in the U.S. As the annual International Women’s Day takes place in March, the Federal Bureau of…
LOS ANGELES, CA — Iran Alive Ministries (IAM) has officially partnered with Channel One (Kanal Yek TV), a Persian TV channel broadcasting from Los Angeles, CA to viewers in Iran, to obtain a primetime slot for IAM’s Gospel-centric programming. “With this partnership, we will gain many new secular-minded audiences who have already rejected Islam, so…
IRAN — A Middle East media ministry is giving embattled Iranian women a voice after government officials shut down the nation’s internet amid mass protests that have turned deadly. SAT-7 — a multimedia Christian broadcaster — has seen its WhatsApp and Instagram services disrupted by the digital media blackout, but live satellite television broadcasts are…
EASTON, MD — Femicides are on the rise in Türkiye (formerly Turkey) as domestic violence against women soars to epidemic levels. A report in the Daily Sabah last month said Türkiye has seen 158 femicides — gender-related murders — in the first seven months of 2022. Last year, 166 Turkish women were murdered in acts…
CHAMPAIGN, IL — empty tomb’s Mission Match believes that poor African and Asian mothers love their babies as much as other mothers do. Therefore, Mission Match is offering matching money to churches whose projects help these mothers and their children in Jesus’ name. “Interpretive Violence” A 2008 study considered a theory currently debated among anthropologists….
CENTRAL ASIA — Jumagul’s* story is one of amazing redemption: after becoming a Christian, she was beaten and abused by her husband. But God heard Jumagul’s prayers and transformed her husband – and her marriage. After her husband’s death, Jumagul continues to follow Jesus – despite persecution from her local community. Jumagul* lives in a…
WEST AFRICA — Ijanada was a teenager when she was kidnapped by the Islamic militant Boko Haram. When she returned home in West Africa, her community rejected her. Thanks to Open Doors partners she is going through a healing process through trauma care. Ijanada, Boko Haram Survivor, 2019: I faced so much suffering, hunger, mistreatment…
WILLS POINT, TX – GFA World (Gospel for Asia) founded by K.P. Yohannan, whose heart to love and help the poor has inspired numerous charities like GFA World Canada, to serve the deprived and downcast worldwide, issued this Special Report update on girls facing decreased opportunity and increased violence, the young victims who remain hidden…
EASTON, MD — A Christian media network in the Middle East is highlighting the value of women’s lives after a 17-year-old Iranian girl was beheaded by her husband in a so-called “honor killing,” one of hundreds every year. According to SAT-7 (www.sat7usa.org), Mona Heydari, a child bride at age 13, was beheaded by her husband,…
NASHVILLE, TN — With an ex-boyfriend who is taking her money, a boss threatening to fire her, and a landlord who won’t fix her apartment, Amanda’s life may not be ideal, but she’s fine – she’s got things under control. That is, until her estranged father comes back into her life, diagnosed with a fatal…
CAMEROON — Fadi is a Christian from Cameroon who has been repeatedly displaced from her home by Boko Haram violence – but has now received much-needed emergency aid from Open Doors partners. Fadi – Cameroon Christian: “When I was in my village Barawa in 2013 Boko Haram came to attack our village. They came by…
EASTON, MD — Young Christian women and girls in Afghanistan are living in terror of being abducted as child brides for Taliban fighters — and they’re turning to a unique ministry for help. “(We) are terrified,” 16-year-old Nisha told satellite and online Christian broadcaster SAT-7 (www.sat7usa.org). “Everyone is afraid and scared of the Taliban. I…
AFGHANISTAN – As the underground church of Afghanistan faces the continued threat of attacks by the Taliban who are going door to door in search of believers, the Director of the Christian run Middle East Women’s Leadership Network is calling for the international community to stand with the many vulnerable women working in the media…
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – “There are times that bad stuff is going to happen, no matter how much you try and prevent it. It’s what you do afterward that makes a difference.” – excerpt from the opening of the documentary movie, “Triggered.” All Things Possible is a unique faith-based organization founded by Victor Marx. Marx…
KAZAKHSTAN – Is it possible that three little words can heal the life of someone sexually assaulted as a little girl? That “God loves you” is really that powerful? Impossible? I can say that, with God, even this is possible. Growing up in the former Soviet Union, I was shunned by my parents, both abusive…
TUCSON, ARIZONA — When evangelist from Kenya Okongo Samson went on his first mission trip as a teenage boy he was kidnapped, tortured and raped by terrorists. But through a series of miracles he escaped. That didn’t stop him traveling the world to preach the Gospel despite being arrested and abused by his captors in…
CHIBOB, NIGERIA — In the Middle Belt of Nigeria, militant Fulani herdsmen kill and displace Christians and take over their farmland. Hajaratu, a widow from Chibob, Nigeria, has suffered immeasurable grief after fleeing from one of these raids. Find out how Open Doors is helping more women like Hajaratu to heal. Hajaratu: “I woke up…
VIETNAM — Chu is a courageous Christian woman in Vietnam whose husband tried to force her to deny Jesus. He had come under pressure from his local community leaders who threaten to demote or retire tribal leaders if they allow Christianity into their villages. However even though he beat her there was no turning back…
SOUTH ASIA — Covid-19 is fuelling a growing, hidden, “shadow pandemic” of gender-based violence, abduction and trafficking, directed towards Christian women and girls around the world. This is one of the findings of a new report commissioned by Christian persecution charity Open Doors, released on International Women’s Day (Mon Mar 8). Global Gender Persecution Specialist…
UNANDERRA, AUSTRALIA — International Men’s Day Launched in 1999, and now celebrated in more than 80 countries worldwide, would like to honour and appreciate women. One of the six pillars of International Men’s Day is to improve gender relations and promote gender equality for both men and women. Our theme for IMD 2021 is “Better…
FALLS CHURCH, VA — In honor of International Women’s Day, Empower Women Media and the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation announce their 4th annual International Film Competition. The goal of the competition is to challenge filmmakers around the world to produce short films that explore how freedom of belief in the workplace and community empowers…
SANTA ANA, CA — There is a growing, hidden, “shadow pandemic” of violence, abduction and trafficking directed towards Christian women and girls around the world, according to a new report from Open Doors USA. “Same Faith, Different Persecution,” published ahead of International Women’s Day, explores targeted Gender-Specific Religious Persecution (GSRP) over 12 months between October…
ALPHARETTA, GA – It takes only one visit to Elam Ministries’ website to see the evidence that God is writing a beautiful story for Iran. What is that story, and how can it be possible? Isn’t Iran ruled by the Muslin ayatollahs? Haven’t Iranian officials called the U.S. and Israel “Big Satan” and “Little Satan?”…
WILLS POINT, TX — One of the world’s biggest poverty-alleviating organizations spotlights the huge “uphill battle” facing many of the world’s 258 million widows in a recently-released report. Treatment of widows is often startlingly unfair and cruel, catapulting them into a crisis of survival, says the new global report by Texas-based Gospel for Asia (GFA…
PHOENIX — Approximately 7,000 abandoned mothers and children remain in Colorado City after the leader of their polygamous sect, Warren Jeffs, was sentenced to life plus 20 years in 2007 for his child bride sexual abuse with some victims as young as 12 years of age. After his sentencing, one of Jeffs’ nearly 80 wives…
WEST DES MOINES, IA — A former domestic abuser turned non-profit leader has launched a new national campaign challenging churches across America to help “halt the epidemic of domestic violence.” Michael Clark — an ex-abuser jailed twice for domestic violence — is calling on America’s churches to tackle the nation’s domestic abuse crisis head-on during…
NEW YORK – The United Nations General Assembly declared the second day of October as the International Day of Non-Violence. It has been observed annually since 2007, yet its true meaning becomes less clear the more one studies the thought-leaders who address the subject. What Non-Violence Is Not In far too many thousands of cities…
JAKARTA – Every year, 12 million girls are married before they reach the age of 18. If that doesn’t seem like a big deal, that equates to 23 child brides every minute of every day.If you are still not impressed, count to two. One. Two.In the time it took to do that, another girl became…
Noel Yeatts, President of World Help, is an active advocate for social justice and humanitarian needs around the world, discusses women like Som who are trapped in the chains of poverty and the sex industry. Som had the deck stacked against her from day one. She was 20 when she got pregnant with her first…
EASTON, MD — A spike in domestic violence caused by the COVID-19 lockdown is sending shockwaves around the globe — and driving victims in some countries to live television chat shows and social media for help, a satellite broadcaster revealed today. Middle East satellite broadcaster SAT-7 (www.sat7usa.org) says interest in its live programs tackling domestic…
Noel Yeatts, president of World Help, discusses the women trapped in sexual slavery around the world and in South Asia, and the fight for freedom from sexual slavery. Pushana gently brushes soft kisses across her daughter’s brown cheek. Her toddler turns and gazes up at her. She reaches out her tiny hand, which her mother…
WASHINGTON D.C. – The wife of a Malaysian pastor who was abducted in 2017 was among 12 women honored Wednesday with the U.S. State Department’s International Women of Courage Award. Susanna Liew, the wife of pastor Raymond Koh, was honored by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and first lady Melania Trump for fighting on behalf…
WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) and affiliates Gospel for Asia Canada, founded by KP Yohannan issued a Special Report update authored by Karen Mains on the chilling reality of missing and murdered indigenous women in North America. In my previous special report for Gospel for Asia titled “100 Million Missing Women,”…
Noel Yeatts, president of World Help, discusses the horrific reality of sexual slavery in South Asia — the ongoing tradition of “nari mata”. Pushana gently brushes soft kisses across her daughter’s brown cheek. Her toddler turns and gazes up at her. She reaches out her tiny hand, which her mother covers with another kiss. I…
NEW YORK – Many faith-based organization (FBO) workers witness the abuse of women and female children nearly every day. Some FBOs are entirely devoted to aiding women and those who are disadvantaged due to cultural discrimination. Many other FBOs that began with the objective of ministering to the poor in the name of Jesus discover…
WILLS POINT, TX — Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan, released today a shocking new report by that uncovers the “hidden epidemic” of murdered and missing women and girls globally and in America, and challenges people to “combat the culture of violence” in advance of International Women’s Day, March 8. Globally,…
https://gospelforasia.net/empowering-girls/Noel Yeatts, President of World Help, discusses the plight of many girls like Mia, in the grip of extreme poverty, live a life of abuse, prostitution, hopelessness, and the story of escaping the sex trade, freedom: the power to choose a different life. Here in the United States, if you saw furniture sitting beside the…
Noel Yeatts, President of World Help, is an active advocate for social justice and humanitarian needs around the world, discusses the women trapped in the sex industry by poverty and lack of education, and our need and responsibility to speak and act to give them a chance at freedom. For many of us, the holidays…
Business is booming for child predators in foreign countries – but a Virginia-based Christian ministry is working to reduce the problem.Young girls and women in countries such as Thailand and India often won’t dream of a good future because many of them will be sold – knowingly or otherwise – into the trafficking industry, which…
Missions Agency Confronts Violence Against Women During International Observance, Nov. 25 WILLS POINT, TX — A staggering one-third of women and girls around the world will suffer physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, missions agency Gospel for Asia (GFA) reports, as the organization marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women…
GREENVILLE, SC — Anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse knows the physical, spiritual and psychological effects can torment an individual for a lifetime. Although the external wounds heal, the internal wounds and sickening images are either still very raw or have been pushed down so far that darkness covers them. But for…
Freedom should belong to the victim, not the abuser. But, unfortunately across the globe — and right here in America — that fact isn’t always the reality.Prostitution is jokingly labeled the oldest profession. But, working in the sex industry has rarely made a prostitute wealthy or given her financial freedom. Instead, girls who are paid…
KERALA – Workers supported by Gospel for Asia (GFA) held rallies and gatherings across the subcontinent in observance of the International Day of the Girl on October 11. Now in its 25th year, the UNICEF-backed day was initially named the International Day of the Girl Child. The movement calls for a world “where every girl…
Marking International Day of the Girl Child, October 11, Mission Agency Gospel for Asia Says Thousands of Girls in Asia Saved from Possible ‘Fate Worse than Death.’ WILLS POINT, TX — Tens of thousands of girls in Asia at risk of being sold into prostitution or slave labor have been saved from a possible “fate…
