SIL Global

The Alpha Tiles app has been selected for the third year in a row as part of the #HundrEDGlobalCollection report by @hundredorg!! 🥰 This year, we were chosen out of 789 applicants for our impact in education innovation. Why is the Alpha Tiles app important? There are no literacy game apps for 97% of the world's 7,000 languages. Using our open-source platform, new apps can be created in one-week workshops or via online collaboration in a Google Drive. To date, there are 198 languages across 44 countries with an Alpha Tiles app. Who does the app primarily serve? Around the world, hundreds of millions of children start school in an unknown or poorly understood language. With the Alpha Tiles app, children can begin building literacy skills in their own language at home - or in the early grades at school when possible!! - before beginning to learn a second language of wider communication in school. You can learn more about Alpha Tiles and the 99 other incredible innovators here: https://lnkd.in/gSjJyKyq. Thank you, HundrEDorg, for your support of our projects! And thank you, SIL Global, for your continued investment in Alpha Tiles! 🙏

After 14 years of service, SIL LEAD has concluded operations—leaving a lasting legacy in multilingual education, health localization, technology and innovation, and resource development. SIL LEAD worked with partners like USAID, All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development, Chemonics International, Creative Associates International, FHI 360, RTI International, and World Vision, to help children access education and learn in the languages they understand best. SIL Global will continue this important work directly, building on SIL LEAD’s strong foundation. Read more: https://ow.ly/7q4250Xl9TN

What started as a small translation effort in Ukarumpa is now reaching hospitals and government health offices across Papua New Guinea. The project? Translating vital health booklets into Tok Pisin. “We don’t have anything like this,” said the National Department of Health. “Our nurses and patients need it.” Together, we’re helping health information speak the people’s language. Read more: https://ow.ly/LfHP50XfTIk #CollaborationForChange #SILPNG #LanguageForLife

As a young man, SIL's executive director, Johnstone Ndunde, relocated to Nairobi to attend university. His degree in education led him to various assignments—such as traveling to the Borana community where literacy rates were very low. With no curriculum in Borana, children were forced to attend school in a foreign language, leading to dismal retention rates in schools. After teaching an adult literacy class, one of Ndunde’s students managed to learn how to read and write in Borana in just two weeks. When Ndunde returned to the community weeks later, he was surprised to find this same student in uniform. Learning to read and write in Borana gave this man the courage to apply to the government’s request to recruit someone to serve as a chief in the community, an opportunity that once would have seemed impossible. #MeetJohnstone

Each morning in Papua New Guinea, parents bring their children to the SIL clinic—some fighting for their lives from preventable illnesses. When health information is only in English, too many people are left in the dark. Now, simple booklets in Tok Pisin are changing that story. Health materials written 𝘧𝘰𝘳 Papua New Guineans, 𝘣𝘺 Papua New Guineans are helping parents prevent illness and care for their families. These essential resources cover topics from hygiene to diabetes. #LanguageForLife Read more: https://ow.ly/3Giz50XgtFi

Languages matter because people matter. Take a moment to explore the 7,159 languages in use today ➜ Ethnologue.com #LanguagesMatter | Ethnologue

Globally, millions of people have no books in their mother tongue. We're working to change that. SIL's easy-to-use Bloom software empowers communities to create their own reading materials. So far, over 23,000 books in more than 1,070 languages have been added to the Bloom Library. Want to help support the creation of books in every language? Learn more at bloom.sil.org 📚 #All7000Reading

Abu, from Papua New Guinea, was an elementary school teacher for 21 years before she came to work for SIL. Her passion? Language preservation through literacy. #LanguagesMatter

Today, we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Katharine 'Katy' Barnwell, whose invaluable contributions to Bible translation in Nigeria and beyond continue to shape lives. A champion of local leaders, Katy walked alongside many communities in their efforts to translate the Bible into their own languages. She authored a textbook widely used around the world and regarded as the “gold standard” for training first-language translators today. Executive Director Dr. Johnstone Ndunde reflects on Katy’s enduring legacy of scholarship, mentorship, and dedication: “[Katy’s] immense contribution to the Bible translation movement through scholarship, publishing, teaching, and the Jesus Film Project is rivaled only by her care for and impact on the lives of countless individuals. In my visits to Nigeria, I have met people from all walks of life who credit ‘Mama Katy’ with their growth—personally and professionally—and carry with them such fond memories of this special lady.” Learn more about Katy’s life and legacy here: http://bit.ly/3VJ6INi

On this International Day of Prayer for Victims of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, we pray with partners who share our commitment to helping communities flourish in every area of life. Through our partnerships with The Salvation Army and A21, meaningful resources have been created for minority language communities, who often face a disproportionate threat of human trafficking and gender-based violence. By collaborating together, prayer guides and awareness resources are now available in more than 100 languages! Use this prayer guide developed by the Salvation Army to lift up survivors of this difficult and painful reality: https://ow.ly/3A8Q50X0u9r Learn more: https://ow.ly/uEZt50X13Ep #EndHumanTrafficking #Prayingwithpartners