Mozhda TV began broadcasting Oct. 24 as a satellite channel aimed at Afghan audiences, with its founders describing it as Afghanistan’s first television channel dedicated to Christian programming. The launch brought together church leaders, mission partners and Afghan believers after decades of prayer and cooperation among Afghan Christian leaders and mission organizations.
Shoaib Ebadi, executive director of the Afghanistan Bible Society, said in a recorded video message that the channel was beginning broadcasts “to Afghanistan and around the world.” Masoud Ghorbani, Mozhda TV’s executive director, delivered the main message shortly after the signal went live.
Ghorbani addressed Afghanistan’s humanitarian and social pressures, including separated families, persecution, discrimination against women and despair among young people. He said the channel could reach viewers who have few other opportunities to encounter Christian teaching. “We don’t know who is watching our program for the first time right now, perhaps even the Taliban,” he said. “We need to pray for them.”
The channel currently broadcasts in Dari and Pashto and plans to add Hazaragi, Uzbek, Turkmen and Baluchi. Producer Mikael Tunér, who previously worked for nearly two decades with the Persian-language Christian network SAT-7 PARS, said the goal is to provide at least some programming in each Afghan language so viewers can hear content in what he called their “heart language.”
Women’s programming is a central part of the project. Planned and developing programs include health information and material intended to help women continue their education, with series designed to be watched privately at home. Ghorbani said the team has been recording new programs since March.
Christian programs have reached Afghans through other media for years, but organizers said Mozhda TV is the first dedicated Afghan Christian channel. Harun Ibrahim, founder of Al Hayat Ministries, traced the vision to a 1986 prayer gathering near Tampere, Finland, where participants prayed for Afghanistan. He said the channel’s launch came 40 years later after organizations from different denominations worked together. Mozhda TV is available online at mozhda.tv, in addition to its satellite distribution.