Author: Noel Amos, 14 April 2023
Open the Book is bringing the Bible to life for children in Argentina, including those with audio, visual, and learning difficulties.
Argentine Bible Society hosted a week-long Open the Book training workshop in March, led by Angela Lopez Branco from Bible Society’s International team. Open the Book has only recently been initiated in Argentina and will soon be expanding its reach to Ecuador, Honduras and Guatemala.
Each of these Latin American countries were represented at the workshop, with leaders from each country invited to learn how to bring Open the Book to their communities. They were taught how to make Bible stories engaging and interactive for children who have never had the opportunity to hear them before. They also had a chance to visit a school to watch an existing Open the Book team in action.
The highlight of this workshop was its full inclusion of deaf participants, both in the training and the practical sessions led at the school. Translators, members of the deaf community, and sign language instructors from Argentine Bible Society’s staff were a part of the workshop. They provided sign language interpretation and helped deaf participants teach animal signs to the children to bring the story of Noah to life.
You can see some of the Noah performance in this video.
Not only was the training in Argentina a catalyst in its inclusive efforts, but it also inspired a spirit of collaboration among the participants coming from different countries and Bible societies. Domestically, Open the Book is a programme taught in schools but the International Mission team hopes to bring the Bible to life in other community spaces in Latin America, like after school clubs, rural community centres, and food kitchens.
Along with these inclusive workshops, Argentine Bible Society are producing Bible story booklets designed for children with audio, visual, and other learning difficulties, like dyslexia. Open the Book volunteer groups and training sessions can now be made thoroughly inclusive for deaf participants, a huge step forward in helping all children to experience the Bible.
Add a leaf to our Open the Book prayer tree to support Open the Book International in the work they’re doing to share the stories of the Bible with children around the world.
Share this:
Caring for creation in Costa Rica
Change a child's life with the Bible
Read the Bible 
Processing...