LIT26

Bible-based Literacy Projects in Sri Lanka, Liberia, Pakistan & Bangladesh

Bible Society NZ · 30 September 2026 · 4 min read

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THE CAUSE

What might you miss out on if you couldn’t read?

A favourite book. A message from someone you love. The ability to help your children with their homework. Or the chance to open a Bible and read God’s Word for yourself.

For many children and adults across Sri Lanka, Liberia, Pakistan and Bangladesh, learning to read and write is still a challenge. Poverty, limited access to education, illness and social barriers can prevent people from developing the literacy skills many of us take for granted.

But literacy can open a new door.

Through Bible Society literacy programmes, people are gaining the skills and confidence to read, learn and participate more fully in everyday life. Alongside literacy education, they are also being introduced to Scripture, helping them read, understand and engage with God’s Word in their own language.

Your gift can help give someone the opportunity to learn, grow in confidence and discover the hope found in God’s Word.

Simply use the secure online donation form or internet banking to make your gift today. Your generosity can help provide literacy education, learning resources and opportunities for people to engage with Scripture across Sri Lanka, Liberia, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

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THE IMPACT

Your gift today will help:

Sri Lanka

Support the Literacy for Sri Lankan Children & Youth Programme, helping children and young people strengthen their reading, writing and language skills while learning to understand and share God’s Word in Sinhala and Tamil. The project is currently reaching nearly 783 children and aims to reach 1,500 children and young people each year.

Liberia

Support the Mother Tongue Literacy Programme, helping students in Grades 7 and 8 develop reading and writing skills in their own languages, including Maan, Dan/Gio, Kpelle and Bassa. This year, 560 students across eight schools are taking part.

Pakistan

Support the Beacon in the Darkness of Illiteracy Programme, helping Christian women and girls learn to read and write through local literacy centres. Graduates also receive a Large Print New Testament in Urdu so they can continue reading God’s Word at home.

Bangladesh

Support the Literacy Skill Development Programme for Underprivileged Women, providing literacy classes, learning resources and practical skills to women in rural communities, while helping them read and engage with God’s Word in Bangla.

$45

helps Place literacy workbooks in the hands of seven children in Sri Lanka

$75

Helps Place literacy workbooks in the hands of seven children in Sri Lanka

$90

helps gift five students in Bangladesh a bible in their own language

$220

support 2 teachers to attend four days training in Pakistan

Sadunika, a grade 7 student, at a Bible Society literacy class in Sri Lanka

My name is Sadunika. I am in grade 7. For one year I did not go to school. Because of some sickness I was in hospital for 6 months. Photo credit: Roshan Kumar

A New Beginning Through Literacy

For Sadunika, becoming unable to read felt like losing her connection with learning.

At just 12 years old, she dreamed of becoming a doctor. But after illness kept her out of school for a year, including six months in hospital, she returned struggling to remember even the letters she once knew.

Then she joined a Bible Society literacy programme.

“After attending this class, I felt like I want to go back to school again.”

Little by little, Sadunika began remembering her letters and rebuilding her confidence. She rediscovered the joy of learning and began looking towards her future again.

Today, she is excited about her studies and still dreams of becoming a doctor so she can help people who cannot afford medical care.

For Sadunika, literacy helped turn a difficult chapter into a new beginning.

These stories remind us that literacy is about more than letters and words.

It can bring confidence to a child who has fallen behind. It can give a mother new opportunity. It can equip a church leader to serve others. And it can help someone finally open the Bible and read God’s Word for themselves.

YOUR GIFT CAN OPEN THAT DOOR

A gift today can help provide the resources and support needed to give someone the chance to learn. Give today and help open the door to literacy, opportunity and God’s Word for someone who needs it.

Give today

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