International (MNN) — Arabic is the fifth-most spoken language in the world with approximately 230 million speakers. Now, children who speak Arabic will finally have access to Keys for Kids Storytellers and their biblically-based stories.
This effort to get Keys for Kids Storytellers translated into Arabic is a culmination of two years of work and partnership. Keys for Kids Ministries linked arms for the project with SAT-7, a satellite TV ministry to the Middle East and North Africa.
Greg Yoder, executive director of Keys for Kids, says, “It is amazing…what [SAT-7 has] been able to produce for us. They have taken a year’s worth of Keys for Kids stories and they have made them into audio for our Keys for Kids Storyteller program. These are solar-powered mp3 players. They have a Bible on one part of the hard drive and on the other part of the hard drive they have these Arabic Keys for Kids stories.”
A Storyteller audio player (Photo courtesy of Keys for Kids)
Keys for Kids Storytellers are already available in English, Spanish, Greek, Macedonian, and Albanian. This new Arabic translation is in the Egyptian dialect.
Yoder explains, “That’s the largest speaking dialect in the Middle East. If you watch an Arabic movie, you usually see it in Arabic-Egyptian. But we have plans to do these in a Lebanese and Syrian and North African dialect all with the help of SAT-7.”
The result is a high-quality product. Yoder took the Arabic Storytellers to Cornerstone University and met with a female student who grew up in Egypt. She listened to a Storyteller and was instantly impressed.
“She is listening to these stories and she gets a big smile on her face and she says, ‘This sounds just like the woman who I listened to on cartoons every Saturday morning in Egypt!… These are very, very well done.’”
Keys for Kids has big plans for their new Arabic Storytellers. The Storytellers are available for purchase and for organizations that want to utilize them in their own outreach. They can be given to Arabic-speaking children in the Middle East, kids in refugee camps, and even immigrant children in the United States and other countries.
“What’s great about this is that SAT-7 is actually planning on taking some of our written stories and expanding them into a 15-minute television broadcast they will be featuring on their SAT-7 KIDS program,” Yoder says.
Keys for Kids estimates each Storyteller reaches up to 150 children with the Gospel. And this stage of life is critical. Around 68 percent of decisions to follow Jesus are made between the ages of four and 14-years-old.
“Our Keys for Kids stories always point kids to Scripture…. That’s what Jesus did. He told parables. He told stories that taught biblical truths. That’s basically what these Keys for Kids stories are doing.”
Please pray that the children listening to Keys for Kids Storytellers in Arabic would get to know Jesus. You can also support Storytellers at the Keys for Kids website here!
“Every $40 that comes in places a Storyteller somewhere in the world. If you wanted to give a gift of, say, $400, you’re placing 10 of those [Storytellers],” Yoder says.
“When you hear stories like this and actually kids coming to know Jesus because of what they’re hearing, you can’t help but want to be involved!”
Header photo courtesy of Keys for Kids Ministries.
