Baka Literacy-Cameroon

The purpose of this role is to empower the Baka people to read and understand the Scriptures in their own language. By teaching literacy skills and developing local literacy teachers, the literacy worker will equip the Baka community to read the Scriptures as well as basic materials related to health, addiction recovery, trauma healing, and community development projects.

The literacy worker will serve as part of the Baka missionary team, working closely with the Baka people while learning the basics of their language and culture. They will utilize existing Baka literacy curriculum and help Baka speakers learn to read their own language. The literacy worker will also train literacy teachers and develop a plan to expand Baka literacy efforts to new villages.

The primary goal of Baka literacy is to enable individuals to read the Scriptures and to engage with and share the gospel. A secondary goal is to equip people to read simple materials related to life skills, including health and hygiene, addiction recovery, trauma healing, and holistic development projects such as beekeeping.

Ministry Setting

The Baka are traditionally animistic, forest-dwelling hunter-gatherers scattered across a wide area of eastern Cameroon, living in small camps and villages. Years of ministry—including oral Bible storytelling and discipleship—have resulted in a fledgling church. Bible translation efforts are underway, and a training center has been established where Baka people are gaining agricultural and business skills.

Initial literacy work has focused on adults and older youth in one region of the Baka area, but there is a significant need to expand literacy outreach more broadly. Language learning and initial ministry will be based in a village setting near other Baka team members; however, the literacy worker may later relocate to a larger town as a ministry base. Life among the Baka is challenging and requires resilience, flexibility, and a persevering spirit.

A Baka literacy worker must have a vibrant spiritual life, characterized by consistent practice of the spiritual disciplines. They should possess strong interpersonal and communication skills, the ability to teach and do strategic planning, along with experience in sharing their faith and discipling others.

Learning the Baka language and culture will be critical. A basic understanding of French is also necessary. Patience and perseverance are essential, as teaching reading in a previously unwritten language requires time and dedication.

The ideal candidate has the following:

• An Associate Degree (2 years) or more in Biblical studies or equivalent experience
• Completed linguistics courses in phonetics, phonology and literacy
• Experience in teaching or training
• Experience in strategic planning and the ability to coordinate people to carry out programs

The Baka literacy worker’s role will be to promote literacy among the Baka, collaborating with any other literacy efforts already underway, and expanding into new areas.

They will:

• Utilize the Baka alphabet and existing literacy materials.
• Develop a plan to expand Baka literacy into new areas.
• Promote use of the newly translated Scriptures and other holistic reading materials.
• Participate in the ministry of World Team’s Baka team.
• Build relationships and share the gospel, discipling believers as they work among them.
• Develop additional literacy materials if needed.

Anticipated Outcomes:

• Conversational proficiency in the Baka language.
• Faithful literacy teaching that leads to Baka people learning to read their language, the Baka New Testament, and materials developed for life skills.
• Use of strategic Baka Bible verses in the literacy program, giving opportunity for the Baka to hear the gospel.
• Discipleship of literacy teachers.