Overview
Bible Society Australia is supporting the United Bible Societies China Partnership (UBSCP) in providing literacy classes for rural Chinese Christians, a high percentage of whom are non-literate or semi-literate. As Christians acquire literacy skills, they can read and understand God’s word.
According to the Census in 2020, there are over 37.75 million nonliterate people above 15-years-old in China. Of this number, about 75% are women, due to cultural and traditional practices that deprioritise female education.
Most Chinese Christians are non-literate and are too poor to receive any form of education. In particular, many elderly Christians living in poor rural areas are non-literate or semi-literate and are too poor to have received any form of education, though they deeply desire to read God’s word in their final years. The need for literacy classes is significant, especially among these elderly Christians. Improved literacy also helps to address the church’s concern over the widespread infiltration of cults, found mainly in rural areas. Biblical literacy will help Christians discern between true and false teachings and prevent believers from being swayed by heresies.
Statistics
- 37.75 million non-literate adults in China
- 97.44% literacy rate (as of 2020 census)
- 90% of Mandarin speakers who are non-literate or semi-literate are elderly
- 80% of Mandarin speakers who are non-literate or semi-literate are women
If the appeal is oversubscribed or the project changes due to unforeseen reasons, we will reallocate remaining funds to similar projects.
