Medical Equipment for Ukarumpa Clinic, PNG
Project 8541
The medical clinic at Ukarumpa, in the Eastern Highlands of PNG, is vitally important to the local community as it is a long way to the nearest alternative medical centre. Ukarumpa is a large community of Papua New Guineans, as well as people from many different nations, serving together in Bible translation and supporting roles. The clinic serves the whole Ukarumpa mission community, as well as people from the surrounding villages. There is currently a significant need for some medical equipment in order to provide a good level of care for the patients treated at the clinic. For example, a reliable defibrillator is a priority need. The clinic comprises two sections as follows:
- The SIL Health Clinic provides a wide range of medical services to the Ukarumpa community including emergency care, dental services, physiotherapy, optometry services, and a pharmacy.
- The Ukarumpa Health Centre (UHC) is a government subsidised clinic specifically for PNG citizens. Patients are seen Monday-Friday from 8:30-5:00 on a first come, first served basis, although those who are critically sick are given priority. UHC patients have access to the SIL Health Clinic’s medical testing resources. UHC is largely staffed by PNG staff who have been trained and licensed in PNG.
Equipment purchased for this project will be used in both clinics. Please consider giving a gift to this project in the knowledge that it will help many people in this remote part of PNG, and probably save lives.
Translator Training Vanuatu
Project 8343
Having seen its usefulness and expansion over the past several years, SIL Vanuatu continues to facilitate a course for those involved in Bible translation and local church leadership, designed to develop higher level thinking skills which are applied to careful Bible reading, analysis of cultural practise and other daily life situations.
Five local men are trained to teach the material in each of the three two-week residential courses which make up the Trenem Tingting (Train your Mind) course. Participants are required to complete field assignments in their home communities before returning for the next course with the hope that what is learnt will have a far-reaching effect.
Funds are needed for transport and for the associated costs of the residential courses.
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Our partnership target for 2024 is $20,000
If we receive extra funds, this will go towards next year’s target.
PILAT – Translation training for PNG nationals
Project 8835
The Pacific Institute of Languages, Arts and Translation (PILAT) is a training organisation dedicated to preparing Papua New Guineans for Bible translation, literacy and other language development work.
The National Translators Education Fund (NTEF) project subsidises training in translation and language development activities for national translators. The goal is to equip PNGn translators to be able to produce quality vernacular translations of Scripture. NTEF scholarships are available to applicants who are working in an SIL or PNG Bible Translation Association (BTA) language program. Criteria for acceptance include academic qualifications, finished village assignments from previous courses, equal distribution of scholarships over different language teams, and willingness to bring a community contribution of PGK100 per week of training per language team. The scholarship can cover course fees, room and board at the training location (Ukarumpa and Alotau), travel, course material, books and subsidies for laptops after applications are reviewed and evaluated.
Watch this video for more information.
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Budget target: AU$86,666.58 by mid 2025
Excess funds will go towards the following year’s target.
Training for African Consultants
Project 8810
Due to a worldwide shortage of translation consultants, SIL is aiming to train more Africans in Africa to fill this role in the Bible translation projects that are being done there. Wycliffe Bible Translators Australia is looking to help by providing part-scholarships so that some of these CiTs (Consultants in Training) can attend their training workshops.
In recent years, there has been a very positive movement towards Bible translation projects relying more on mother tongue (local) translators, and less on foreign translators, who are more likely to be involved as trainers, advisors and consultants. This newer translation project model gives the local language users much greater ownership of their own Bible translation projects, often results in a more natural translation that will be easy for people to understand and can lead to greater community involvement.
This training model can have a big, wide-spread impact. The CiTs that Wycliffe Australia sponsored for the April 2023 Grammar Workshop came from a number for different Bible translation organisations in Africa. This was intentional. They returned to their different organisations and started sharing their new knowledge with their colleagues. The impact of the training was therefore spread across different Bible translation organisations, across colleagues of the sponsored CiTs, and therefore also across many different Bible translation projects.
The final comment should come from one of the Grammar Workshop participants … “With this strategy, there is every reason for us to hope for effective and credible translation in our communities”
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Our partnership target for 2024 is $15,000
Excess funds will go towards the following year’s target.
Binumarien Old Testament Translation & Literacy PNG
Project 8590
Wycliffe and SIL have been working with the Binumarien people in the Eastern Highlands of PNG since 1958! With the committed help of Des and Jenny Oatridge, the Binumarien language was recorded, a writing system was developed, and the people were taught to read and write their language. They were hungry to have the New Testament of the Bible in their language, and so they worked with the Oatridges to achieve this. The New Testament was eventually dedicated in 1983. But this small language group of around 1000 people, want more of God’s word, and so they have been working hard for many years to get the Old Testament translated too! In 2011 SIL PNG’s Mitchell Michie commenced working with the Binumarien translators on the Old Testament. In 2018 five of the Old Testament books, and a revision of the Binumarien New Testament, were published in order to make more scriptures available for distribution. In 2021 a recording of the New Testament was also distributed to the people.
Just recently, a new agreement has been set up between SIL PNG, Tyndale Bible Translators, and the Binumarien translation team to give the project a boost. It has been recognised that the dedicated Binumarien translation team really need to spend more time in Ukarumpa, for face to face advisor checking with a Tyndale Bible Translation checker. It is hoped that this new agreement, and the increased time and resources being put into the Old Testament Translation, will see it completed in the next seven years. With this new structure, however, comes a significant increase in costs associated with the project. Please consider contributing towards this wonderful project to see the entire Bible available in the Binumarien language.
Latest update (May 2024):
In the last six months 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles and half of 2 Chronicles have undergone an advisor check with their Tyndale advisors. Twelve literacy primers/stories have been published and distributed in digital and print form. The Lumo Luke movie in Binumarien was shown in the village for the first time. Forty-five SD cards with vernacular Scripture and literacy materials were purchased for use on mobile phones. Ten Megavoice players were also purchased. Three Binumarien literacy teachers have completed the Vernacular Creative Phonics course and have followed up with Mitchell on curriculum and materials development. The Binumarien phonics school is built and close to opening (as of the end of March 2024).
All glory to God and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
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Our partnership target by end of 2025 is $31,239
If we receive extra funds, this will go towards the following year’s target.
Old Testament Translation in South Asia
Project 8328
The Si* language community is located in South Asia. Like many minority language groups and dialects in the region, they are located in a rural location that is difficult to access. This often makes translating the Bible difficult, as translation consultants need to travel large distances to meet with communities to work on translations. While much of the New Testament has been translated into the Si language, work on the Old Testament is about to begin.
In order to provide an easier, long-term solution for the remaining Scripture to be translated, a Wycliffe Australia member is providing Bible translation training for mother-tongue translators. He is serving as the coordinator and Bible translation advisor for the project, teaching, training and checking the translation work of the mother-tongue translators. The training that local speakers are receiving is already improving their competence in translating. The training is also providing them with a sense of pride and ownership in the translation, helping to ensure longevity of the project.
Along with partner organisations in South Asia, Wycliffe Australia is providing funding for this important work. In addition to the translation training, the project aims to also provide literacy training and gospel materials in the Si language to promote the work of the gospel and build healthy local church communities.
The budget for the first year of this project includes set-up costs (including office and computer supplies), salaries and travel expenses for training two mother-tongue translators. The initial Old Testament passages to be translated include Genesis 1–50, Ruth 1–4 and Jonah 1–4.
*Names changed for security reasons
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Budget target for 2023 and 2024 is $28,214.
Excess funds will go towards the following year’s target.
Photograph by Aileen Agoncillo, Unsplash
Scripture use North East Papua New Guinea
Project 8519
The Scripture Use activities in the NE region of PNG aim to come alongside the local churches, language communities, and translation teams to build enthusiasm for and capacity in Scripture use. These activities may include:
- Meeting with translation teams to assist in developing a strategy to help the language community to engage with the translated Scripture.
- Providing materials to the translators and or leaders within the language communities/churches. These may include;
- Materials to assist in preaching
- Materials for running adult Bible studies
- Materials for running youth and children’s Sunday and vacation Bible school activities.
- Facilitating workshops to assist the language communities in applying the translated Scriptures to their lives. These workshops may include:
- Culture Meets Scripture. This workshop teaches the participants how to search the Scriptures to determine if their traditional customs bring honour and glory to God and if not, options for what could be done to change these customs so that they do.
- Bible Background / God’s Big Story This workshop teaches the participants about the culture and life during the time of the Old Testament and New Testament. Also, it teaches a timeline of the Old Testament and New Testament and how they are connected. Afterwards, the students take what they learned to other villages in the language group and run Bible studies sharing what they learned.
- Healing the Wounds of Trauma. This workshop equips local churches to care for people with deep emotional and spiritual injuries caused by war, domestic violence or natural disasters. This workshop combines biblical and mental health resources into an effective intervention that fosters healing and restores relationships with God and others.
- Using the Bible. This workshop teaches the importance of using the Scriptures and various methods to help people engage with them.
- Critical Thinking. This workshop trains the participants in critical thinking skills, assisting them in reading the Scriptures and applying it to their lives.
- Editing SU materials and developing new materials.
- Spending time in language communities to develop relationships with the communities to further enhance the receptibility of the SU materials and workshops.
- Training PNG men and women to be Scripture Use workers. This is done through discipleship/mentoring of selected PNG men and women in God’s Word through more individual small group study sessions, training in facilitation of the above-mentioned workshops and mentoring them as they facilitate these workshops.
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Our partnership target for 2025 is $24,000
If we receive extra funds, this will go towards next year’s target.
National Trainee Consultant Study Tour
Project 8395
Translation consultants who have never visited Israel, and never seen first-hand the sites common to the original readers of the Scriptures, are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to checking Bible translation. The Wycliffe Australia Israel Study Tour gives an opportunity for Bible translation consultants and consultants-in-training to visit many sites in Israel where Old Testament and New Testament events occurred, and to meet other mother-tongue translators studying Hebrew in Jerusalem in preparation to translate the Old Testament into their own languages. The cost for each student will be approximately $7,400 (depending on airfares). Approximately 50% of this funding is provided by the African and South Asian organisations from which the translation trainees are coming. This funding covers all their expenses in Israel: travel, accommodation, food, entry to National Parks and the costs of an experienced tour guide.
South East Asia Church Based Literacy Project
Project 8818
There is a great need for Multilingual Education for members of the Bunong communities in Mondulkiri, Cambodia. Most Bunong people cannot read or write, even in their own language, so the literacy needs are great. Northeast Community Education and Development Organization (NCED) is committed to supporting the communities with these needs.
The Church Based Literacy Program is assisting the Bunong people in two main ways:
- The implementation of the Bunong literacy program in the churches is directly addressing the community’s low literacy rates while helping to sustain their language and their customs. Literacy rates need to increase in the country’s official language in order to support dealings with authorities and commercial organisations so that the communities’ interests are protected. Literacy rates also need to improve in the Bunong language so that their language and culture can be preserved for future generations.
- Running the literacy program through the local churches means that the Bunong people can be supported to read Scripture in their own language. The program works directly with 12 Bunong churches and the participants in the various programs include children, youth, adults and elderly people.
More recently, the Bunong communities have been affected by the COVID-19 global pandemic and there has been an urgent need to communicate health advice to better protect them from outbreaks and to manage any cases that develop. NCED has been doing this important work with translated written materials and visits to villages (when permitted).
Ambon Scripture Engagement Project
Project 8817
The Ambonese Malay New Testament has been published and was officially launched in September 2022! But publication is not the end of this story. God has brought together an enthusiastic team of local Scripture engagement workers to promote the new translation and help people to use it and apply it in their lives.
The Ambonese Scripture Engagement team is passionate about seeing God’s Word at work among the people of Maluku. The team is highly sought after for their training workshops that are designed to meet the needs of local churches. Topics include trauma healing, parenting, overcoming addiction, using local language in ministry, conflict resolution and more. At each workshop the team teaches, prays and leads worship in Ambonese Malay, enabling participants to experience the impact of God’s Word in their own language.
An important part of their work during 2024 will be running a series of workshops to introduce the newly published Ambonese Malay New Testament to churches and showing how it can be used in teaching and discipleship.
2023 Update
The completion of the Ambonese translation of the Jesus film was a highlight for 2023. The Scripture Engagement team had previously worked on the Ambonese translation of the script and, in this period, worked with other partners to audition voice actors and record the film audio. The movie is now released to the public and provides a free contemporary audio-visual way to interact with the story of Jesus in Ambonese Malay. LPMI (the local Indonesian branch of Campus Crusade for Christ) in Ambon have plans for screenings and outreach and follow-up in dozens of locations in 2024. The Scripture Engagement team has also made good progress on Old Testament translation, particularly exegetical reviews and community testing of the translation of Genesis, and drafting of selected Psalms. This translation will be an important addition to the New Testament when it is completed and published electronically.
Thank you for your prayers and support!
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Budget target: AU$16,000 per year
Excess funds will go towards the following year’s target.
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