In 2020, the Bible Society of South Africa will celebrate its 200-year anniversary. We are deeply grateful for the grace and favour the Lord has bestowed upon this organisation whose mission it is to provide affordable Bibles to everyone in the language of their choice.

Buying your Bibles from the Bible Society is now easier than ever, thanks to our online Bible shop.

These past weeks, our nation has been rocked by stories of dreadful violence. In most cases it was women and children who are the victims.

On 31 October, the Bible Society reached an exceptional milestone. With the launch of the Setswana literacy material in the Uniting Reformed Church Tlhabane, Rustenburg, speakers of all 11 official languages in South Africa now have access to this material, which forms part of a project, If you can read you can learn.

My first Bible Do and Learn Book (Beibele ya me Dira o bo o Ithute Buka 1) and My 2nd Bible Do and Learn Book (Beibele ya me Dira o bo o Ithute Buka 2) was published 161 years after the launch of the first Bible in Setswana (1857). Setswana was the first South African language to receive a complete Bible and now Setswana was the last language to receive this Bible-based literacy material.

The keynote speaker at this launch was Mrs Letshego Rampete, the co-ordinator of the Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign of the Department of Education in North West. Mrs Kenalemang Kgoroeadira represented the Pan South African Language Board. Various foundation phase teachers, as well as church and community leaders were also present.

The most important guests at both events were, however, the large number of Grade R, 1 and 2 learners from various primary schools in the area. Each one of these children received a set of the booklets.

Thanks to Bible Society donors, thousands of these booklets have already been made available free of charge in all of our official languages specifically to children in schools and communities where there is poverty.