Young and old begin
to understand
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| A woman and a young girl look at one of the special handbooks produced as part of the literacy scheme being run by the Bible Society of Egypt (BSE) and the Coptic Orthodox Church. This scheme is receiving financial support from the Bible Society in Australia (New South Wales). Cairo, Egypt. Photo: BSE (EGY04DJ-2.JPG) |
CAIRO, Egypt — Students of all ages are enhancing both their literacy skills and their knowledge of the Bible thanks to a project based on a teaching method which is unfamiliar to Egyptians. With financial support from the Bible Society in Australia (New South Wales), this project could reach as many as 250,000 people.
Illiteracy is still widespread in Egypt. Many people gain basic literacy skills, but it is very common for these skills to be gradually lost if people do not have access to further support and appropriate reading material. There is an additional problem when it comes to reading the Bible, as it is written in very formal, traditional Arabic which those with poor literacy skills cannot understand.
Visiting Cairo at the end of last year, the Rev Daniel Willis, Bible Society in Australia (NSW) CEO was able to see at first hand how a Bible-based literacy project run by the Bible Society of Egypt in collaboration with the Coptic Orthodox Church is touching the lives of both young and old.
What makes this project different from other literacy schemes is that it is based on a participatory approach to learning, rather than on the rote-learning techniques which have traditionally been used in Egypt. With special handbooks presenting Bible passages in simple Arabic and highlighting connections with material found in newspapers and magazines, students find that they become more confident readers and begin to truly understand the Bible.
Enthusiastic
On his return to Australia, Mr Willis was able to tell enthusiastic supporters of this project about some of the individuals who are benefiting from it. One example he gave was that of a 76-year-old grandmother.
“Although she had gained a literacy
certificate 20 years earlier, it had not helped her to read,” he
recounted. “She was attending the classes because she wanted to
be able to read the Bible herself. Now she is praying that God will
‘not bring her life to an end’ before she has read the whole
Bible.”
Seeing literacy classes actually take place was a particularly moving
experience for Mr Willis.
“It was amazing to see students as young as six or seven sitting down with those 10 times their age. They all wanted to learn to read and find out what the Bible says.”
Reflecting generally on his visit, Mr Willis said, “I was enthralled and excited to see people come to understand that God loves them.”
With the project having proved “a resounding success” so far, the Bible Society in Australia (NSW) has committed itself to raising AU$100,000 (US$75,000) each year for the next three years to support the partners’ vision of training 4,000 tutors to work with 250,000 students.
An earlier report about this project can
be found in World Report 378/11.
(WR 385/22 - 4/5.04)