Richmond // Eswatini

Background About the Deaf as an Unreached People Group

Of an estimated 150-250 million Deaf people in the world, only 2% are followers of Jesus Christ. An alarming 98% of Deaf people are currently missing out on the blessing of eternal life with Jesus. This is why Deaf people are among the largest unreached and unengaged people groups in the world! 

Do you ever wonder why it is that so many Deaf people do not know Jesus? Deaf people are often neglected, isolated, and abandoned, even within the Lord’s church. Deaf people experience the same thing in their families, schools, and workplaces. In many countries, parents abandon their Deaf children because they don’t know what to do with them or where to get help. And one of the worst scenarios is when parents believe that when their child is Deaf, it’s a curse they need to get rid of. Many Deaf people are often looked down upon. And in many countries, Deaf people do not have equal rights, are not allowed to drive, and are unable to work. 

Did you know that every 9 out of 10 Deaf children are born to hearing parents? And yet there’s a very low percentage of hearing parents with Deaf children who use sign language to communicate. Family, friends, and churches often do not learn sign language fluently enough to communicate God’s word to Deaf people. No wonder many Deaf people feel isolated and remain unchurched. We need a better way to reach the Deaf.

Another challenge is that spoken and written languages such as English are often a second language for Deaf people. The Deaf find it difficult to read and understand the Bible in the spoken and written form used by a majority of churches. Deaf people desire God’s word in a language they can see and understand in their native sign language. 

There are an estimated 11,000 Deaf in Eswatini. Join us we continue to pray and support the work of seeing the Deaf church established in Eswatini and ask God's for help and guidance to reach the Deaf in every nation and people group. 

The Kingdom of Eswatini is one of Africa’s smallest nations and one of the world’s last absolute monarchies. It is a landlocked country bordered by South Africa and Mozambique. Although a small nation, the HIV/AIDS infection rate in Eswatini is one of the highest in the world, affecting 27% of those aged 15 to 49. Due to high poverty rates (59%) and income inequality, many women and girls end up in prostitution and are at greater risk for HIV/AIDS. Eswatini is also known as the country of orphans. Around 58% of the nation’s youngsters are orphans and vulnerable children, largely due to HIV/AIDS. Children often live together, with the older ones caring for the younger, and about one in ten are malnourished. Eswatini also has the world’s highest number of Tuberculosis cases, and 80% of those treated are also infected with HIV/AIDS. Drought, overgrazing, and soil depletion further contribute to national poverty, and nearly half the population is unemployed. Many are migrating to South Africa to find work.