When working with unreached people groups in developing parts of the world, illiteracy is a real issue. Solely releasing products that are written can neglect a significant part of a country’s population depending on where you are. Although global literacy rates have increased significantly in the past 10 years, there’s still an estimated 13% of the world’s population that cannot read on a functional level.*

Pictures and imagery can speak to all people. And the team behind the SuperBible app uses these resources to reach people globally in their native languages.

Bob Arend is part of the Reach Beyond team in New Zealand working on the technology for this project. “The app will find your native language and then only show the Bible stories in that language or the options of your area. We have around 27 different languages represented now.”

These different languages represented mean that people who speak Maori, Swahili, Syrian Turkmen, and more can learn about Bible stories in a creative way. Artists who previously worked with DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and Disney create captivating imagery that is used in printed comics as well as video versions with audio narratives.

Missionaries from Reach Beyond and other partners use this resource as a tool when ministering in different regions of the world. Reach Beyond New Zealand has created a unique device that even allows for the app to be distributed in villages that don’t have access to the internet. They call this device a Sheep Station, and it carries with it all the latest material provided in the SuperBible app as well as a way to transmit the images and videos to peoples’ digital devices in the village.

“We’re doing a joint project with Theovision, a long time partner of Reach Beyond, in Ghana. They have been putting solar light panels in remote villages, and on those poles are our Sheep Stations. So the people in the village can charge their phones and other electronic devices on this solar light panel, and then they can also access the SuperBible and other Bible teaching programs. They even have loudspeakers on the poles that play radio programs throughout the day.”

Reaching children on their level through the SuperBible app is just one of many incredible ways that we’re able to reach the unreached, help them understand the Gospel, and choose to follow Jesus.