“If we pay attention, we can see that our localities, often wrongly or rightly described as poor, are full of resource opportunities that are just waiting to be properly channelled…”
“In terms of mobilising local resources, each locality has its own realities, and these must be considered in order to bring the components together strategically in a collaboration that enables each other to support the work of Bible translation into local languages. No one is so poor that they cannot support Bible translation.”
One of the greatest challenges for Bible translation organisations in Africa at the beginning of the 21st century is the mobilisation of local resources. In the current global economic climate, local contributions are of great importance and there are many ways to encourage communities to contribute.
This article addresses the issue based on the results of research work the author carried out on the Biblical Institute of Gaounga, Benin, showing the need to adapt mobilisation strategies to the rural context of Gaounga and the villages covered by the research. He shares some ideas for the effective mobilisation of local resources – and encourages us to see the link between Scripture engagement and community development.