Reflecting on the love God has for everyone regardless of race, culture, or disabilities, the Jehovah’s Witnesses were pleased to present a Bible for the deaf. Statistics recorded by the Zimbabwe National Association of the deaf revealed that approximately 1,5 million deaf people reside in the country.
In order to reach these people with the Word of God, a statement released by Jehovah’s Witnesses stated:
“We have 243 deaf members in 21 congregations, 86 hearing who associate with the deaf to assist them countrywide, making a total of 323. There are more than 50000 Jehovah’s Witnesses in Zimbabwe, including the deaf”
The current Covid-19 pandemic had distracted efforts to reach the deaf in their homes. As a result, this Bible is aimed at reaching the deaf community with the Word of God even when the witnesses can’t go knocking at their doors.
At the moment, just the book of Matthew has been translated and is available for use on the free JW Library Sign Language App. John Hunguka, a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Zimbabwe Branch Committee concluded the statement with the remarks:
“With the recent release of the book of Matthew, Jehovah’s Witnesses have embarked on a project to translate the entire bible into ZSL (Zimbabwe Sign Language). This will take an estimated ten years to complete”
These efforts have been driven by their belief, conveyed in a statement to the Newsday stating:
“They deserve a bible in their own language so that God’s Word can be directed to the deaf without the use of an interpreter. Jehovah’s Witnesses are happy to provide a Bible in the language of the heart to the deaf community in Zimbabwe”
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