The right to have hope

Updated on 17 March 2026
by Leon Steenkamp

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.

The unspoken human need

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. We need meaning. We need hope.

Every day in South Africa millions face struggles like poverty, unemployment, violence, trauma, broken families, and loneliness. In these circumstances, hope becomes more than a feeling, it becomes a lifeline.

For many, that hope begins with the Bible.

Hope in a small booklet

At 78 years old, Marietjie Bowers still walks the streets sharing hope one conversation at a time.

As a survivor of the 1993 St James Church attack, she still carries the physical reminder of a bullet wound. But Marietjie also carries something else: an unshakable calling to share the hope found in the Gospel.

Much of her days are spent distributing small Scripture booklets called Bread of Life. They are simple, easy to carry, and easy to share. But they are powerful.

When she meets someone, she offers them a booklet and starts a conversation. Sometimes it is just a few words. Sometimes it becomes a deep discussion about life, pain and faith.

Her motivation is simple:

“I am still here because God still has work for me to do.”

Marietjie is intimately aware of how precious life, and more importantly eternal life, is. The hope she has in the restoring works of Christ is what drives her to share the Good News with others. People need this hope.

Making hope accessible to everyone

This is exactly why the Bible Society of South Africa exists – to make the message of hope in the Bible accessible to everyone, regardless of their financial situation, language, or life circumstances.

Through the generosity of donors, the Bible Society can:

Distribute Bibles to those who cannot afford them
Translate Scripture into heart languages
Provide audio Bibles for those who cannot read
Make digital Bibles freely available

In fact, the Bible Society’s digital platforms and apps have already enabled hundreds of thousands of people to engage with Scripture in their own language, helping to ensure that access to the Bible is not limited by geography or income.

Because hope should never be a privilege.

When a Bible means more than a book

For someone with resources, a Bible may be easy to obtain. But for someone struggling to survive, it can be out of reach.

This is why the Bible Society’s special grant projects are so invaluable. These initiatives ensure that people who cannot afford a Bible can still have access to one – because Scripture offers comfort, direction and spiritual encouragement, especially in difficult circumstances.

Sometimes the impact is immediate.

A young person finds direction. A prisoner discovers forgiveness. A grieving person finds comfort. A searching heart finds purpose. In each case, hope is an added gift.

Hope is part of human dignity

Human dignity is not only about what people have, but also about what people believe about themselves.

When people read the Bible and hear God tell them in his own words who they are in Christ Jesus – how valuable, worthy and capable they are – their lives are transformed. This is often where Scripture plays an important role, helping people see themselves and their lives differently.

This is why access to the Bible can play such a vital part in restoring dignity. Not replacing other human rights – but strengthening the human spirit that must live within those rights.

How you help bring hope

Many of our donors never meet the people whose lives they impact. They may never know the names of the children, prisoners, or struggling families who receive the Bibles they funded.

But they are part of those stories.

Every donation helps to ensure that someone else can receive hope in a form they can understand – in their own language, in their own circumstances.

Some may ask: ‘What difference does one Bible really make?’

The answer is simple: Sometimes it changes everything.

Your invitation this Human Rights Day

Human Rights Day reminds us that human dignity must be protected. Before anything else, we are human, created in the image and likeness of God. In pursuit of becoming more like Christ, we readily strive towards Godly virtues like compassion, generosity, respect and justness which naturally help to safeguard the rights and dignity of our fellow human beings.

You can assist with instilling these values in our society.

You can help ensure that hope remains accessible to those who need it most.

You can help place the Bible into the hands of someone searching for meaning.

You can help someone like Marietjie continue her work of sharing hope on the streets.

Because dignity is not only about rights, it is also about hope.

And sometimes hope begins with something as simple as a Bible.

Help bring hope to someone today

This Human Rights Day, you can make a practical difference through the following:

Your support aids in ensuring that no one is excluded from access to the life-giving message of the Bible.

Because everyone deserves dignity. And everyone deserves hope.

Become a sower of hope.