Middle East Prison Ministry

The vision of Middle East Prison Ministry is to care for the physical and spiritual needs of prisoners, communicate with and assist their families while the prisoners are in jail, and address the special needs of domestic workers. They also mobilize churches to be involved in prison outreach and help prisoners return home and connect with a local church after their release. As partners together since 2007, Partners International has resourced and equipped the ministry leadership team, allowing them to expand their reach and impact. Today, the team has access to 12 prisons with more than 8,000 prisoners. MEPM is the only Christian ministry with permission to visit and assist prisoners in the region.

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The vision of Middle East Prison Ministry is to care for the physical and spiritual needs of prisoners, communicate with and assist their families while the prisoners are in jail, and address the special needs of domestic workers. They also mobilize churches to be involved in prison outreach and help prisoners return home and connect with a local church after their release. As partners together since 2007, Partners International has resourced and equipped the ministry leadership team, allowing them to expand their reach and impact. Today, the team has access to 12 prisons with more than 8,000 prisoners. MEPM is the only Christian ministry with permission to visit and assist prisoners in the region.

People imprisoned this region come from all over the world. A number of them have trafficked women from Asian nations who were arrested in the Middle East for lack of proper papers or other lesser infractions. An estimated 80,000 domestic workers come from Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Indonesia each year. Many come to work as maids but flee when they are beaten, taken advantage of, or dismissed without cause. With no money, no local connections, and often little understanding of the language or legal system, they don’t have much hope of being released. Others are there because they are admittedly guilty of crimes. But they all have one thing in common–they need the hope of Jesus.

The standards of prisons in the Middle East are a far cry from the standards of an American prison. Inmates often go without basic toiletries or blankets, and there are few non-governmental agencies with a concern for prisoners or access to them.

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