“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
We have started work with three communities found in the Lake Chad Basin/ Sahel region of Africa. Stretching across west and central Africa below the Sahara Desert is a the territory know as the Sahel. Although there is great hunger for the truth in these tribes, these tribes don’t yet have the Scriptures in their language.
The Context and Challenges
Majera and Jina are among the most difficult people groups to reach. Due to the poverty, recurring famine in the area, floods and illiteracy. The languages are not written and do not have an alphabet. Access to these communities is by canoe and very difficult and very risky when there is a flood. The absence of educated people and no indigenous Christians in these communities makes penetration challenging.
The Opportunity
When a team from the Oasis Network visited both communities we found there is interest in translation of the Scriptures and other community development resources that would improve the lives of the people.
Goals
- Facilitate the oral translation of the New Testament along with portions of the Old Testament.
- Facilitate oral translation of adapted and contextualize community development literature to help facilitate access to information that can improve the lives of the people.
- Train and build local people
- To start 35 listening groups
- Organize a community leaders program for developing the leadership capacity of community leaders
- Ethno-arts – to develop music and evangelism drama
- Work in partnership with the community and a well drilling organization to provide clean water to the people