The Women At Risk Relief Project aims to show the Messiah’s love in practical ways to women battered by domestic abuse and military conflicts in the Middle East. It originated as a response to the Yazidi women who fled from the Northern Iraq as genocide survivors from persecution at the hands of ISIS.
Since 2016 we have provided young ladies a place to stay in Northern Cyprus and scholarships to study at the local universities. We also help women who are fleeing life-threatening situation in their homes or countries. The first group of 8 ladies from Iraq/Syria finished their studies and moved on to careers in different places.
Since January 2022 the ministry have begun to help women at risk who are fleeing Afghanistan (and Iran) by enrolling them in a local university, providing with a place to stay as well as trauma counseling. As of January 2023, more than 30 women have come to Cyprus with this scholarship project. Those that have come have responded well to counseling and some have shown interest in the gospel. They also attend classes regularly and interact with local believers. It was a special blessing, specifically in the light of the ongoing war in Israel, to have an Israeli member of the Derech Avraham leadership team visit the women in the Northern Cyprus in February. She led the women in some hands-on workshops helping them through emotional social and educational challenges while learning about their life journeys.
We hope to continue helping women in the coming years even as we care for the women in our program right now.
How can you pray?
- Pray for us to be able to identify and connect with more women in the Middle East that we can help, trusting the Lord to provide for their needs.
- Pray for those women that are finishing up their degrees and need to decide about further steps.
- Most importantly pray that the Lord touches their hearts and that they come to faith in Him.
Our hope and prayer is that by encountering the generous love of believers in this way and advancing their education they can become an example of Christ’s transforming power in their society.
If you’d like to know more about the women’s stories and testimonies, an updated version the book Healing Broken Hearts, will soon be available. More details at https://atriskwomen.com/home/resources/
To support the women at risk on their journey and to help provide for their needs in this time of transition, use the link below.