And I Am Not Just A Woman

This initiative uses the tool of film to shed light on the challenges and rights of women who are the sole person responsible for their family. Of the 28 documentaries, 9 are from Lebanon, 12 from Egypt, 4 from Jordan, and 3 from Morocco. 18 cases are Muslims; 10 are Christians. For example, "Buthayna" is one of the episodes of the documentary series. Born in a traditional, Christian family, Buthayna has to marry her cousin, who is a drug addict and who is also unemployed and violent. Buthayna has to work in factories to feed her 5 children and pay for her husband's addiction. When he dies, she establishes a small business, producing springs for the spare-parts industry. Working in a male-dominated field is difficult for her, but she is fighting hard to provide a better life for her children.

In addition to the documentaries, SAT-7 has produced a series of short TV spots raising awareness about the rights of women living in the Arab world. The project has also included a series of live interactive talk shows, where women have discussed the challenges they face as the sole person responsible for the household. Viewers from all over the Arab world have called in during the show with their comments and questions.

Women, Rights.

According to SAT-7, "[i]n many Arab families the 'head' is a woman....Now she is left alone to provide for her children, her parents or her younger siblings. But her society expects the head of the household to be a man. The challenges she faces are legal - she may need to fight for legal guardianship of her children, for their right to an education, or for her right to social security or ownership of property. Or she faces economic challenges. Sometimes only the low paid jobs are available to women. Perhaps her migrant husband never sends the money he promised. And in some places, social security entitlements are paid only to the man in the house. But most of all, she faces social challenges. The neighbors gossip. Why could she not keep her husband? Is she an immoral woman? Her every step is monitored and the rumors flourish. Society closes its eyes, and the media overlooks these silent women. But now the satellite TV station SAT-7 ARABIC is giving them voice."

"Since 1996 SAT-7 has been working to illuminate countries in the Middle East and North Africa with God’s love. The ministry currently has five channels (SAT-7 ARABIC, SAT-7 PARS, SAT-7 KIDS, SAT-7 PLUS and SAT-7 TÜRK), each of which holds to a similar ethos - show viewers God's love, give local churches in the region a satellite TV platform to educate and encourage their communities, combat misconceptions about the Christian faith in the region, work inter-denominationally, and foster bridges of understanding with the much larger non-Christian majority without compromising the truth of God's Word."