Duvai

New Testament

Country

South Asia

Language(s)

Duvai

Speakers

600,000

A small group of persecuted believers look forward to the strength God’s life-giving Word will give them to grow and uplift their under-resourced language community.

the Need

The Duvai people are skilled with herbal remedies and have been known as herbal doctors. With medical advancements, however, many have moved on to sell plastic wares and other goods at the weekly markets. The unique Duvai language separates the community from surrounding peoples. This makes completing education difficult and keeps knowledge about their rights and health out of reach. Duvai speakers have expressed a desire for resources in their language so they can read and learn. There is a very small Christian community among the Duvai people. Those who do profess belief in Jesus, are mistreated and have no Scripture in a language they understand. Translated Scripture is important for the growth and strength of the small and mistreated group of Duvai believers. Further, many in this community have yet to hear and understand the gospel—and know it is for them, too.

The Project

To meet the needs of the Duvai people, project team members trained by our national partner in South Asia have made a commitment to:

Develop a Duvai alphabet and publish a dictionary.
Translate the New Testament and distribute it in print, audio and video formats.
Publish mother-tongue materials for the language community, including spelling guides, a dictionary, and easy reader materials.
Equip local leaders and pastors for ministry.
Hold mother-tongue learning centres in Duvai villages to help children succeed in school and teach them other vital topics such as first aid.

BIble Translation Progress

Drafted

Community-Checked

Quality-Checked

Connecting Through Music

As a musician with a deep interest in music, Project facilitator Sonu felt led to create a Christian song in the Duvai language. Even though he was swamped with other project work, he felt compelled to make time for this initiative. As a starting point, he got together with some of his friends from the Duvai community and they took an initial pass at translating a popular song from the national language into Duvai. Hearing their rendition, a Duvai Christian contributed their own version of the lyrics. “It still requires some refinement for clarity and accuracy,” admits Sonu, but people seem excited about the prospect of Duvai worship songs. This is Sonu’s first attempt to engage the Christian Duvai community through music and translation, and we pray that it is only the beginning.

Building Relationships

In early 2024, project facilitator Sonu, trained by our national partner in South Asia, moved to a Duvai village and has begun to build relationships with Duvai people. This is not easy work. For many months he could not find anyone to help him learn their language or and develop it into writing. Many of the village people were wary of him or asked for money for their help. Miraculously, a Duvai businessman offered his help for free. Even after, the man left for a nearby city on business, Sonu found an elderly women willing to help him. With their help, he was able to collect 1,000 Duvai words and a few local stories. Slowly, through friendships with some of the children in the community, he is being accepted by the village. As he continues to build relationships and learn the language, he is looking forward to recruiting a translation team from the Duvai community.

The First Steps

One of Sonu and Freya’s first tasks is to collect words for a Duvai dictionary and build an understanding of how the language works. During this time, they are asking God to help them identify Duvai people to join their team who are capable and interested in translating the Bible. This early linguistic work has involved collecting local folk and cultural stories, and learning the Duvai words used to communicate them. Soon, these words and stories will be used in a phonology workshop taught by specialists with our partner organization in South Asia. At times, Sonu and Freya’s efforts have been met with suspicion. They have persevered, however, and have met many friendly and curious individuals who are open to helping. Sonu and Freya are glad God is guiding them in these first steps of the project, “turning the impossible into the possible.”

“Since the number of Duvai believers is small, they are vulnerable to false teachings. This is a
serious concern."

Sonu, Project Facilitator

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