They explain that while the Kalanga tribe is officially recognized in Zimbabwe, the people have been dominated by the Ndebele ethnic group, whose members were given preferential treatment by the colonial government and subsequent country’s leadership.
“Although their language (Kalanga) is recognized as one of the official languages of the country and is used in 188 local schools, with the exception of a few school textbooks, there are no other written books in their language,” the leadership of the Catholic charity says.
The ACN Child's Bible will also be beneficial to adults, ACN officials further say, and explain, “It is not only the little ones who love the Child’s Bible; many adults are fans of it as well. In regions where many people cannot read or write it helps promote basic literacy.”
“As one young boy in Angola proudly informed his Parish Priest, 'Father, my mummy is learning to read by using the Child’s Bible',” they say underscoring the fact that adults are also beneficiaries of the ACN Child's Bible.
In the July 27 report, a missionary explains the impact of the Bible on the children saying, in reference to the children as beneficiaries, “For them it is as though some kind of divine protection emanates from this book; so, they feel safeguarded as they go.”
“All over the world, wide-eyed children admire this colorfully illustrated ‘treasure’ – in the Amazon rainforest and in the African savannah, in the city slums, the refugee camps and even in places where war is raging all around them,” ACN officials say about the Bible designed for children.
“Year after year the little books are passed from hand to hand, read over and over, and even pressed to their hearts,” they further say, and add, “For these children, they are the proof that God loves them, and that He speaks to them in their own language.”
Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.
