Moloko

New Testament

Country

Cameroon

Language(s)

Moloko

Speakers

18,000

Despite threats and social rejection, believers’ all-night prayer meetings keep faith strong. The community faces spiritual oppression and urgently needs God’s Word in their heart language.

Thank you! This project has been fully funded for the year!

Funds to meet this year's goals

the Need

The Moloko people have lived in the northern part of Cameroon for centuries. In the 1800s, the arrival of Fulani nomadic herdsmen caused the Moloko people to move to the mountains where they made a living. The Fulani culture and religious beliefs greatly impacted the Moloko people. Today, only 10 percent of the community identifies as Christian and even some of those believers have strayed and do not follow the faith. The majority of Scripture is only available in the trade language, Fulfulde, and a limited understanding of this language often hinders the gospel from reaching the Moloko people. Further, Moloko people who confess belief in Jesus are socially cut off from their people, treated as inferior, and often blamed unjustly for crimes. Project leaders long to see local churches grow and be rooted in God’s Word. Believers need more Scripture in their own language so they can fully understand the gospel.

The Project

Moloko project team members trained by staff from our national partner in Cameroon have made a commitment to:

Translate and distribute the New Testament in print and in digital format.
Hold listening groups that listen to available Scripture together.
Teach the community to read and write Moloko by holding literacy classes taught by local teachers who have been trained through the project.

Translation Progress

Drafted

100

Community-Checked

100

Quality-Checked

Generation to Generation

Today, Mr. Oumarou is proud of being Moloko. However, as a young man, he encountered many barriers because of the language he spoke and the community from which he came. Thankfully, the development of the Moloko language opened pathways to a different future. “What I am today is thanks to literacy,” he says. “I did not go to school, but I am a teacher today.” Mr. Oumarou is adamant that being educated and being Moloko are not mutually exclusive—he wants the young people growing up today to know they can be both. “I would like the learners in my class to be able to do the same, and I want the Moloko language to be perpetuated and transmitted from generation to generation.”

Now I Understand

As the team translates Bible passages into the Moloko language, they test their drafts with the community. Churches immediately use the translated portions in their worship services. Naomi, an 80-year-old woman who speaks only Moloko says, “I became a Christian six years ago, but it’s only now, when people read me the Bible in my language, that I really understand. I am getting to know who Jesus really is! I am thirsty to hear more of the Bible in my language.” Naomi thanks God for the work of the project team.

NEW

Women of Wisdom

Marie had spoken her mother tongue her whole life, but she didn’t think she would ever learn to read and write it. Surely only the younger generations who had the chance to go to school could learn those new skills she thought. When a literacy class was offered in her village, however, Marie signed up. She wasn’t confident, but it couldn’t hurt to find out what it was about. To her surprise, there were more women than men in the class, and many of the students were the same age as her. Over the series of classes, Marie worked hard to develop her skills and became quite proficient at reading in Moloko. Come September, Marie could hardly believe how excited she was to participate in the community’s International Literacy Day celebration. During the festivities, the vice-president of the Moloko National Youth Organization addressed the crowd. Marie was pleased to hear him say “I am proud and satisfied to see our elderly women reading our language to us, putting my reading skills to shame! I encourage all the youth to attend a literacy class and give support to this project which is bringing us the Bible in our own language.”

“Since I began promoting Moloko Scriptures, I’ve noticed a growing passion for God in my own heart. My life is changing, and I praise God for this project.”

Nathaniel, project team member

< Back

Give to the project