A S P E C I A L M E S S AG E F RO M WESSAM YACOUB When you are forced to leave your home as a refugee, you often escape with only the clothes on your back. There is no time to pack a suitcase. There is no time to think about what you will be wearing tomorrow or next week or next month. This is the situation encountered by thousands of Middle Eastern women who have been forced, along with their families, to flee their homes as a result of the ongoing unrest and violence throughout the region. There is international aid available to these refugee families, although it is woefully inadequate. But the women—displaced mothers and daughters and sisters and aunts and grandmothers—face an even greater challenge than the refugee community at large. I learned about this need from a refugee who asked to speak with me privately, woman-to-woman, during a recent relief trip with Sami. Female refugees have intimate needs that, due to cultural constraints, can only be shared with other women. These needs include not only basic undergarments, but also the necessary supplies for accommodating a woman’s monthly menstrual cycle. A refugee woman would never dare share this request with an aid committee comprised mostly of men! Imagine the embarrassment you might feel as a woman if you were forced to discuss such intimate details with a strange man. And imagine the panic of knowing that you had no other option available because you had been forced to flee your home without so much as a change of underwear. A conversation of this nature between a woman and a man would be embarrassing in any context, but in Middle Eastern culture, it is absolutely taboo. While this may sound trivial, it is heartbreaking for the women involved. It is a basic need that relates to their personal dignity. Consider the pain and humiliation they experience knowing that they simply cannot ask for help! That is why the Women’s Dignity Kits distributed by Focus on the Family Egypt are so critical. They are discreetly packaged. They include undergarments and the basic necessities every woman needs to accommodate her monthly cycle. And most importantly, the refugee women do not have to ask for them. The kits are freely distributed to every woman receiving material refugee aid. I hope you will prayerfully consider supporting this effort. It is a simple yet profound way of demonstrating God’s love by providing for the intimate needs of women who have nowhere else to turn for help. And please remember the larger scope of Focus on the Family Egypt’s outreach. God has graced us with many opportunities to minister to both Christian and Muslim families with practical support and the light of the Gospel.Your prayers and support mean so much! – Wessam Yacoub Responding to Terror Help Give Comfort and Healing for Hurting Families in the Middle East God is using Focus on the Family to share His healing, comfort and hope with hurting families in Egypt and throughout the Middle East. Muslims and Christians alike face unimaginable cruelty and persecution from terror groups like ISIS. But you can make a difference that will transform lives! Your gift today will help Focus raise $931,000 to support ongoing ministry and specific projects in the region including: • Construction of new housing for families of the 20 Egyptians martyred by ISIS • Memorial for brave martyrs who refused to denounce Christ and sustainability project for their surviving families • 10,000 “Women’s Dignity Kits” for refugee women who are culturally forbidden from broaching certain subjects related to feminine hygiene • Day-to-day outreach to Christian and Muslim families in Egypt and beyond with biblically based counsel on family issues Your gift will help Focus continue this vital, “boots-on-the-ground” ministry in the Middle East. Please give today. Thank you! Please give at FocusontheFamily.com/International today. Thank you!