It all started at a Christmas party two years ago, and culminated with the launch of the first Braille Bible in Acholi on November 20, 2021. On December 19, 2019, the Uganda Bible Society brought together church leaders and visually impaired people for a Christmas fellowship and celebration while distributing Christmas gifts to visually impaired friends. This is part of the Bible Society's mission to bring the Bible to everyone, including people with visual disabilities. The Uganda Bible Institute also advocates for both church leaders and people with visual impairments so that churches in the future make room for the involvement of people with visual impairments in worship and ministry activities.
Clear request
The process is not as easy as it sounds, it is quite complex and if the wrong Scripture reference is given or has to be changed at short notice, it can be difficult or even impossible to adjust it in Braille. Knowing the clear need and demand for Braille Scriptures in the Acholi language, the Uganda Bible Society began work in early March 2021 to transcribe the entire Acholi Bible into Braille script.
When the process of transcribing into Braille script was complete, the Bible Society asked some Acholi visually impaired citizens to help proofread the Scripture text. After several checks of the manuscript, finally on November 20, 2021, the first complete Braille Bible in Acholi language was launched in the city of Gulu. Hundreds of people gathered to welcome it.
“It was difficult for them to hide their excitement, many kept cheering loudly and dancing and holding the Acholi Braille Bible,” recalled Alfred Angudubo, the Uganda Bible Society's Chief Representative in Acholi.
A visually impaired school student, Peter Angelo, was among the excited crowd. He recounted how lack of access to God's Word has led many people his age "astray." He was overjoyed to now be able to read the Bible in his own language.
“This will help me to understand more and know how to explain God's Word in Luo (another name for Acholi)," she smiled.
Denis Komakech, who helped proofread Acholi's Braille Scriptures, described the Bible Society's efforts in providing Braille Scriptures in local languages as "important" because it helps change perceptions about blind people.
”As a Christian, I am excited because the presence of this Braille Bible connects Christians spiritually. "Until now, people with disabilities have had to rely on people reading and interpreting the Bible for them, but now they will be reading and interpreting it themselves."
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“ We wish every Ugandan to have a Bible in a language they understand and in a format or medium they are familiar with,” said the Secretary General of Uganda Bible Society, Simon Peter Mukhama, while pointing out that Uganda Bible Society has so far provided complete Braille Bibles in several languages, viz: English, Luganda, Runkanyore-Rukiga and Acholi. However, he emphasized that support is needed because Braille is expensive: a complete Braille Bible consists of 40 large volumes, and printing costs about US$600.
unitedbiblesocieties.org
