Expanding Access to Children’s Bible Content in Nigeria Through Media Collaboration

By Rejoice Moses

Children are a key indicator of a community’s growth and future. As a Christian community, children from an early age must not be left out when it comes to knowing and interacting with the Word of God. Yet, many children are growing up without access to engaging, Bible-based content in the languages they understand best. It is not that Bible content does not exist, but very little is intentionally created with children in mind.

While the message of Scripture is timeless, the ways children learn today are rapidly evolving. Visual storytelling, animation, and digital media have become essential tools for meaningful engagement, especially within urban communities.

As a media team leader, I began to see both a gap and an opportunity: how can we ensure that children, regardless of their language background, experience Bible stories in ways that are both accessible and engaging?

My desire is to see children across Nigeria connect with Scripture in their heart languages through high-quality, culturally relevant media. We believe that when children hear and see Bible stories in a language they fully understand, it deepens comprehension, strengthens faith, and builds a lasting connection with God’s Word.

With this vision and a team that shares this passion, we discovered the Max7 children’s videos, particularly the Following Jesus series. These animated, Bible-based resources provide a strong foundation for communicating Scripture to young audiences. However, for these materials to have meaningful impact in Nigeria, they need to be adapted into local languages.

Through collaboration with Media Development and Services (MD&S) of SIL Global, our team has been equipped and trained to develop video “shells”—structured versions of the videos that make it easier for media teams to dub and adapt them into different languages. This approach not only simplifies the technical process but also enables wider and faster distribution across multiple language communities.

This partnership has been instrumental in building the capacity of our team. With guidance and support from MD&S, we are not only gaining new skills but also applying them in ways that directly support the broader goals of Bible translation.

Currently, Chris Dul and Linus Luka are working on developing dubbing shells for the Following Jesus series from Max7. These resources are being made freely available through MD&S to media teams around the world. This means that what is being developed in Nigeria is not only serving local communities but also contributing to global efforts to make Scripture accessible to children everywhere.

The impact of this work goes beyond media production. It creates opportunities for children in diverse language communities to encounter the message of Jesus in ways that are clear, relatable, and meaningful. It also strengthens collaboration between global and local teams, demonstrating what is possible when vision, training, and partnership come together.

As this work continues to grow, there is an increasing opportunity for partners and donors to support the development of more of these resources. Such support will enable us to expand production, reach more languages, and equip more teams to participate in this effort.

MD&S has created an opportunity through the International Media Services website for donors to partner with the Nigeria VMS team in producing these video shells. Each contribution helps bring Scripture closer to children in their heart languages, supporting the Lord’s work of Bible translation in Nigeria and extending the impact to communities around the world.

We believe this is just the beginning. By combining vision, collaboration, and innovation, we are taking steps toward a future where every child, regardless of language, has access to Scripture in a way they can truly understand and interact with.

Rejoice Moses is a member of the Vernacular Media Services (VMS) Team of SIL Nigeria, where she serves as Acting Team Leader. She has been with SIL Nigeria for eight years, helping make the Bible, literacy, and language documentation materials accessible through audio, video, and digital media. Rejoice is passionate about children and youth and has a heart to see lives transformed through accessible Scripture and media resources. She is married and blessed with two children. As a visionary leader, she is committed to using media creatively to strengthen communities and support God’s mission through language. Please contact Rejoice through this website's contact form if you have any comments or questions.