Yangulam villages are nestled in rural Astrolabe Bay along the Rai Coast of Madang. All generations use their traditional language. Most also speak Tok Pisin, especially for the purposes of trade with others.
The Yangulam language is used by many in the neighboring language group of Sam. Thank God that the Sam people have portions of the Bible in their language, and many can read. Almost half of Sam speakers can read and write their own language and more than half can read Tok Pisin.
Coffee is the main cash crop in this district. In order to sell their produce, the locals travel up to four hours by road to Madang town. When the roads are cut by floods in the wet season, the villagers can only access Madang by boat. Pray for their material well-being.
A very high percentage of the Yangulam people are Christians of some sort. Even for PNG there is a high percentage of Evangelicals among them.
Literacy is a major barrier to accessing God's word and to engaging in broader society. Literacy rates are particularly low for females—only around ten per cent of females in the district can read (this is half the rate of males). Compounding the problem there are no local high schools or vocational centers in this part of Madang. Those who want to further their education try to live with relatives in the city of Madang. The Divine Word Institute in Madang offers a wide range of courses including a teaching degree.
Please pray that skillful and godly teachers move to the area and redress the extremely low literacy levels among the children.
Pray that girls will be able to safely attend school.
Pray that God raises up workers to bring his word to the Yangulam people (perhaps from among the Sam speakers).
Pray that the people obtain access to audio scriptures, since literacy is low.
Pray that the people will be hungry for God's word and would reach out to the right people for help.
Scripture Prayers for the Yangulam in Papua New Guinea.
Wycliffe Bible Translators
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
