In The News

Every child deserves the chance to read with confidence. Reading can change a child’s life. It opens the door to learning, builds confidence and creates opportunities that last for years. Yet, millions of South African children never get that chance. By the end of Grade 4, about 82% of learners cannot read for meaning. They can recognise words on a page, but have trouble comprehending the context of the subject matter. When this gap appears, every learning area becomes more difficult and overall education becomes a challenge.

Every year, thousands of South Africans push themselves with personal challenges that test their endurance, determination and commitment. Just this past weekend, thousands of athletes gathered at the start of the Comrades Marathon, ready to take on nearly 90 kilometres in one of the world’s most famous road races. While reaching the finish line is a strong motivation, many participants are finding that their efforts can be even more significant.

Last year, the Bible Society of South Africa embarked on a mission to make specialised Bibles more freely available to the deaf community across the country. And so the Scripture beyond Silence campaign was born. Coinciding with Deaf Awareness Month in September, the Bible Society launched the campaign with the goal of raising R100 000. This would allow 500 copies of the Bible for the Deaf to be distributed to schools, churches and organisations that serve the deaf community.

Every year on Human Rights Day, South Africans commemorate the struggle for dignity, equality, and freedom. These rights protect our ability to live, work and participate fully in society. But there is another human need that is seldom discussed in these conversations. The need for hope. Because without hope, even freedom can feel empty. Human rights discussions often focus on basic needs like housing, education and healthcare. While these are essential, human beings are not only physical – we are also emotional and spiritual. We need purpose.

21 February marks International Mother Language Day. It is a moment to celebrate linguistic diversity, as well as a reminder that mother tongues need protection and preservation. In South Africa, this matters deeply. We live in a country with 12 official languages and countless dialects and community language variations. In South Africa, language is not just about communication. Language is identity, memory and belonging. It is the way a grandmother prays, the way a mother nurtures and the way a child first learns what love sounds like.

The Advent season is a time of hopeful anticipation, reflection and love. It marks the beginning of the Christian calendar; a four-week journey leading up to Christmas during which we prepare our hearts and homes to celebrate the coming of Christ. For centuries, believers around the world have observed Advent, not only by lighting candles and singing hymns, but also by turning to Scripture for daily reading and meditation, while allowing God’s Word to centre their lives afresh with his promise of salvation.

There’s a profound yet often unseen need within South Africa’s Deaf community: access to God’s Word in a way they can truly understand. While hearing individuals might take Scripture for granted, for those born Deaf, traditional Bible translations often feel like a foreign language filled with idioms and expressions that simply do not resonate. This reality inspired the Bible Society’s Scripture beyond Silence campaign.