Helping those at risk in Suriname

In Suriname, a Bible Society team recently travelled deep into the Amazon forest using dugout canoes to spend a day with a group which speak the Saramaccan language. The Saramaccans are the descendants of runaway slaves, the earliest of which are said to date back to 1690.

Billboards, such as this one, are being used to convey a message of respect, dignity and love across Suriname. This one says, ‘Nobody deserves to be abused or mistreated.’

The outreach was to all the members of the group, but there was a special emphasis on children through the use of storytelling, drama and song. Each child was given a package of Scripture materials, including a children’s Bible.

One little girl was so interested that she read the Bible as she walked the two to three kms to her home through the forest, and then continued by candlelight. Later, the team learned that the children had also begun reading Bible stories to the village elders.

With domestic violence on the rise, Bible Society is working to raise awareness of this issue. Using billboards and posters, it is running a nationwide campaign to promote the idea that all people, particularly women, have the right to be treated with respect, dignity and love.

As well, it is running workshops to educate church leaders, Christian organisations and government social workers about the issue.

This article is from The Word at Work – Autumn 2012