Not Forgotten in Prayer: A Year of Hope for Northern Africa
- miles1727
- Dec 16, 2025
- 3 min read
A Region Rich in History but Great in Need
Northern Africa stretches from the Atlantic in the west to the Red Sea in the east and is a region shaped by the vast Sahara desert, the Nile River, and centuries of human movement, trade, and faith. Life here carries familiar rhythms—crowded markets, long desert roads, tight-knit families, and communities held together by deep tradition.
Yet beneath this activity lies a spiritual reality often unseen: Many language communities still do not have the Bible in their heart language. Most people speak languages different from the dominant Arabic used in public life. Many face limited access to education and high rates of illiteracy. Entire communities live without access to God’s Word. Local believers often meet quietly, sometimes using only fragments of Scripture, longing for a complete Bible they can understand and share.
Why Indigenous Bible Translation Matters
This is one of the great challenges of our time—and one of the most hopeful. When translation begins inside a community, the gospel reaches places outside efforts cannot. Local translators know the language, culture, and realities that shape daily life. In these contexts, Scripture does not arrive from the outside but grows from within the community itself, translated by those who speak and live the language every day.
A Legacy of Faith Still Endures
Northern Africa once carried a vibrant Christian witness. The early Church produced leaders such as Augustine, Tertullian, and the teachers of Alexandria—voices that shaped global Christianity. After the seventh century, Christianity declined as other religions expanded. Today, believers still live across the region, but many gather in secret and face pressure that limits open worship or public evangelism.
Despite these barriers, the Church among minority language groups grows. Small fellowships meet in homes. Faith endures in quiet places.
Encouraging Progress Across Northern Africa
The scale of the need is large, yet so is the momentum. The Word for the World is engaged in more than one hundred translation projects across nine countries in the region. Several full Bibles and New Testaments have been completed in 2025.
This past year brought significant growth: New projects began, and more full Bibles are nearing completion. Each new project represents a community receiving Scripture in a form they can finally understand—often for the first time in their own words and expressions.
The need remains urgent, and the work continues to expand. We knock on doors in additional countries, which opens opportunities to serve communities there and in neighbouring areas. Innovation strengthens this progress. Translation teams are now being onboarded to use AI-assisted drafting—technology that equips translators without replacing them.
When God’s Word Reaches the Heart
Sunitha* describes how translation changed her church. When a Bible story is taught in her native language, even previously quiet older members participate.
This Asian woman recognises the reason, saying, “I think the reason people were not talking in class before is because they did not really understand the story. Now, with God’s Word in our language, we understand it clearly.”
How The Word for the World Strengthens Local Churches
Effective, lasting Bible translation work grows from within communities. Local translators understand how their people think, speak, and relate. The Word for the World strengthens community Bible-translation efforts through training, expert support, and resources, equipping the local church to take full ownership.
We invest in people, provide tools for sustainable progress, and walk alongside Bible translation teams as they grow in skill and confidence. This structure gives local churches everything they need to draft, check, publish, and engage Scripture. In restricted regions, this model is essential, because Bible translators are able to work undetected. And because the work is theirs, Scripture becomes theirs too.
Not Forgotten in Prayer
Northern Africa faces real challenges—drought, religious persecution, and limited access to Scripture—yet God is at work in these remote places. Local translators continue translating the Bible into the languages their communities understand, and new projects are growing across the region.
Your prayers support believers who serve faithfully, often with little visibility. As we enter a new year, we hold to this hope: No language, no community, and no nation is forgotten by God.
*Pseudonym used for security.
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