In 2021, Our Daily Bread Ministries created a Literacy Program to help students learn English in just one year. Since its inception, more than ten thousand students in South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and South Africa have learned to read through modified Our Daily Bread devotions and Bible stories.

But the ODBM Literacy Program doesn’t just teach the practical skill of reading English. The Holy Spirit is using it to transform kids from the inside out, instilling them with self-confidence and a love for Jesus. 

Take it from Sarah, a teacher at Tumaini Jipya School for Girls in Tanzania. Although her culture often assigns little value to young girls, she says the ODBM Literacy Program used at her school teaches her female students that God loves and delights in them beyond measure.

Check out our interview with her below!

Question: What is education like for girls in your country?

Sarah: Boys are more valued than girls. When we look at education, girls are the ones who are undermined. They’re not given priority in education, especially in rural areas compared to the urban areas. In rural areas, girls aged 17, 16, 15 are married off, but the boys are still going to school.

Question: How does this make girls growing up in Tanzania feel about themselves?

Sarah: Girls feel like they are less valuable. They feel inferior because they believe, “Maybe I’m not supposed to get an education.”

Question: How has the ODBM Literacy Program impacted the girls you teach at your school?

Sarah: The girls are feeling like they have changed their life through reading. They are feeling more prioritized, like they are very good and they are very useful in the community. And they love Jesus! You can find them sometimes taking their free time reading and discussing the Bible.

Question: Have you read ODBM Literacy Program materials, too?

Sarah: Yes! Since I’ve read the ODBM materials, I have improved my spiritual life. Now I know a lot of things concerning the Bible compared to the previous time.

Question: What is your ultimate hope for your students?

Sarah: I believe they are going to change the world because they love Jesus. When a person loves Jesus, she can walk like Jesus walked. She can preach the gospel. She can do great things. 

To learn more about the ODBM Literacy Program and Sarah’s school, check out the video below.