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For many children in Lebanon, recent years have been marked by conflict, uncertainty, and disruption. Economic challenges, school closures, and displacement have affected families and communities across the country. Against that backdrop, opportunities for children to connect, learn, and build positive relationships are rare – but vital.
This year has been especially challenging due to the ongoing conflict, which has displaced over a million people from their homes. But SAT‑7 KIDS has been determined to continue its school outreach work in Lebanon – an initiative started last year by Public Engagement Manager Juliana Sfeir – when conditions in the country have allowed.
Through sessions and activities tailored to children between ages three and 11, SAT-7 KIDS is helping children explore what friendship, kindness, and caring for others look like in everyday life.
Following a visit to the Christian Teaching Institute (CTI) in February, the team went to Louaize Evangelical School (LES) in May, delivering the dynamic and interactive program to more than 1,000 children from preschool to 5th grade. Through games, songs, and discussions, the children were encouraged to think about empathy and the way they treat others.
For Juliana, it reflects a desire to take SAT-7’s message beyond television screens and into local communities.
“At SAT-7, our mission has always been to broadcast hope,” she said. “And that hope looks like being amongst people. It looks like peace-building, spreading God’s love, and making it visible not just through a screen, but on the ground. SAT-7 is not just a channel. We are a community that cares.”
The school outreach work is part of SAT-7 KIDS’ ongoing commitment to engage directly with children and listen to their experiences – helping the team better understand the issues that matter to young viewers and the type of content they want to watch.
The children seemed to appreciate that opportunity to be heard. When asked what they enjoyed most about the SAT-7 activities, several gave remarkably similar answers.
“I liked everything about it, but I liked most when you guys started asking us questions,” said one girl.
A boy agreed: “Everything, but the parts that were most fun were the questions.”
Their responses also suggest they learned a great deal from the sessions. “I learned that bullying not only hurts the other, but also hurts the one who bullies others,” said one girl.
The children appreciated the opportunity to be heard with many saying they enjoyed answering the questions.
The values explored during the school outreach program are echoed in messages received from SAT-7 KIDS viewers across the region.
Tabitha, a young viewer from Egypt, wrote to say how much she enjoys SAT-7 KIDS’ songs, competitions, and the cartoon City of Dreams. “We have learned from you the importance of friendship and caring for others,” she shared.
Another viewer, Amelia, said the channel had encouraged her to show forgiveness and humility in her friendships. “If anyone upsets me or makes me uncomfortable among my friends, I will forgive them just like our Lord Jesus always does with us,” she wrote.
Karim, also from Egypt, shared a simple but powerful example of forgiveness in action. “A friend of mine wronged me, and I forgave him,” he said.
Together, these stories suggest that the lessons children encounter through SAT-7 KIDS are extending beyond programs and outreach events into everyday relationships.
Juliana hopes to be able to take the outreach program into more schools in the next academic year, depending on conditions in Lebanon. Over the summer, the team is planning to take part in several church-based and NGO events.
By stepping beyond the screen and into local communities, SAT-7 KIDS is creating opportunities for children to listen, learn, and grow together, discovering what friendship looks like in practice.
“Friendship is one of the first ways children experience God’s love in action,” Juliana said. “When a child learns to listen, to show kindness, to forgive, or simply to include someone who feels left out, those lessons can shape the way they see themselves and others for years to come.
“At a time when many children in our region have experienced uncertainty and instability, friendship, empathy, and a sense of belonging make all the difference in young lives. We want children to know that they are valued, that they have a voice, and that they can be a source of kindness and hope in the lives of others.”
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