Partners
Prayer Partners:
Current partners 395
Needed partners 0
Total Opportunity:
Funded $1,654,027
Commitments $206,377
Needed $0
Demographics
- Location:
- Tanzania
- Speakers:
- 1,050,000
- Start Year:
- 2006
- End Year:
- 2015
Reports to Investors
News Feed
Mbeya NT Cluster | Nyakyusa-Ngonde
This language group is participating in the Mbeya NT Cluster project.
More than a million Nyakyusa speakers live in southwest Tanzania and northern Malawi (where they are called the Ngonde). In the past, they were powerful and wealthy traders who rivaled the Islamic traders on Tanzania’s Swahili Coast. Today the community includes many well-educated members, including pastors with advanced theological training. The people grow crops such as corn, millet and plantains (cooking bananas), which comprise a large part of their diet.
Nyakyusa church leaders began paying the travel expenses for a translation and literacy team to attend workshops offered by SIL in Mbeya, Tanzania. The team started work in 2003 and has laid a foundation for translation with careful linguistic work. They developed a new way of writing their language and have been compiling a dictionary and studying how their language functions. Some team members are teaching Nyakyusa people to read so they will benefit from the new translation. The team began by drafting Jonah, Ruth and Mark, and their progress continues from there.
News from the Field
- Apr06
Mbeya of Tanzania
There are 10 languages in the Mbeya cluster, living in the mountains and plains of southeastern Africa: Bena, Bungu, Malila, Ndali, Nyakyusa-Ngonde, Nyiha, Safwa, Sangu, Wanji, and Kinga. Praise the Lord that the project is fully partnered. In 2003, several church leaders formed a council to initiate Bible translation projects for their people. Forty leaders representing 10 languages and nine Christian denominations have committed to the project. - Sep24
Mbeya Cluster of Tanzania
The Mbeya cluster touches over 3 million speakers of 10 languages that live in the mountains and plains of southeastern Africa. In 2003, several church leaders formed a council to initiate Bible translation projects for their people. Forty leaders representing 10 languages and nine Christian denominations have committed to the project.