According to the United Nations, more than 800 million people throughout the world cannot read or write. That means more than 800 million people cannot read birthday cards or street signs, cannot write down their address or even their own name!
That means more than 800 million people do not have the opportunity to read the Bible.
An Opportunity for Outreach
Bible League International’s Literacy Outreach program is working to solve that problem right now. Literacy Outreach uses Scripture to teach people to read and write. A holistic outreach effort, new learners find emotional healing, social empowerment, and spiritual hope through learning to read. No longer are they ridiculed or taken advantage of because of their inability to read and write. Instead, new learners can become leaders in their communities. And the first thing they ever read is the Bible!
Literacy Outreach in Action
In Malaysia, Bible League International is training Literacy Outreach teachers right now! During their training session in Kuala Lumpur, these teachers are learning how to teach others to read and write using the Bible.
Maria has been working to provide God’s Word to the immigrant refugee population in Malaysia. However, many of the people she is working with cannot read the Scripture despite their desire to learn more about Jesus Christ. “Being able to use this Literacy Outreach program to teach people to read and write will really help in my ministry,” she says, now a newly trained literacy teacher. “I how I can teach the children, not only to read and write, but also in sharing the Good News more effectively.”
Tuan is also working to reach the refugee population of Malaysia. “The structure of the Literacy Outreach program will help me because it is very systematic and will help the students graduate from simple to difficult words,” says Tuan of the Literacy Outreach workshop. “The teaching method is simple and easy to use with those illiterate refugee children and adults. The activities used in the training workshop keep the learning very interesting and lively. I think children and adults will enjoy these activities.”
Literacy teachers like Maria and Tuan impact the world, empowering people with the ability to read and write. And the core of their work is the Bible.
On International Literacy Day - September 8, 2012 - pray for the illiterate and all those around the world working to teach people to read and write.
To learn more about Literacy Outreach, click here.
