It’s a year of celebrations and jubilees, not just in the UK but all around the world. Earlier in the year we wrote about the work of CABTAL, a Cameroonian Wycliffe organisation, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. Now, GILLBT, Ghana’s leading language development organisation, are celebrating their Golden Jubilee – 50 years of language work in Ghana.
GILLBT (the Ghana Institute for Linguistics, Literacy and Bible Translation) was established by John Bendor-Samuel (the founder of Wycliffe’s work in the UK) in 1962. Since then, GILLBT’s work has had a significant impact across the country. With partners, they have:
- produced dictionaries and writing systems in over 30 languages
- helped more than 500,000 people learn to read and write
- produced over 1,000 booklets in local languages on subjects including agriculture and health information
- translated Ghana’s abridged constitution into 30 languages
- been awarded the UNESCO Nassim Habif award for their work developing literacy work
- translated the complete Bible into five languages and the New Testament into 23 (read more at gillbt.org/translation).
In 2006, a Wycliffe UK and GILLBT member Mary Steele was awarded an MBE by the Queen for her work in Ghana.
A traditional Ghanaian dance at the Jubilee Celebrations
This year, their 50th anniversary, will see launches of two more complete Bibles. GILLBT are also hosting a series of celebratory events including conferences on literacy and Bible translation across Africa. Right now they are starting a new conference on Language, Culture and Development.
GILLBT are one of 100 organisations that make up the Wycliffe Global Alliance, organisations that work in different places around the world to help people hear God’s word in their own languages. You can be involved.
- Back to blog homepage.
- Go to main Wycliffe UK site.
Where Tefera grew up, education was in the national language, Amharic, spoken by few locally. The first grade alone can take up to five years for some students, if all enthusiasm for learning hasn’t been lost long before then. Very few move on to high school. Many in the community don’t understand the concept of the written script. When they see Amharic written, they despair that they have never had the chance to write their own language, which has been spoken for thousands of years. ‘Why? What’s wrong with our language?’
“In Mirwa, we were fortunate to have a large group of people, mostly non-Christians, who wanted to listen to the stories about Abraham.
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