The Ndunda are a small, agricultural group of people who live in eastern Nigeria near the Cameroon border. The Ndunda language is under threat of extinction. Their young people prefer to speak the Igbo, Hausa and English they learn in school. Unfortunately, many of the adult Ndunda are unable to read or write. The gospel will need to be presented to them in audio and visual forms. No Christian resources currently exist in the Ndunda language. Due to their small number, the Ngunda may be completely absorbed into larger people groups in the near future.
The Ndunda are found in Sardauna LGA of Taraba State in east central Nigeria.
The Ndunda live in rural villages surrounded by the land they farm. These people depend on their crops and livestock for their food supply. The Ndunda grow rice, maize, millet, beans, bananas, melons, and vegetables. Peanuts, kola nuts, and palm oil are cash crops, which they sell to buy things like cell phones which they cannot make for themselves. Most families also own chickens, a few goats and a cow to supplement their diets. Village elders settle legal disputes and deal with outsiders.
Most people groups in rural Nigeria like the Ndunda enjoy music, story telling and dance as a form of entertainment and communication. These art forms are very meaningful in rural Nigeria. Those who want to take the gospel to the Ndunda people would do well to use these art forms when presenting the gospel.
The majority of the Ngunda practice ethnic religion or animism. The Ngunda believe that spirits inhabit the objects of nature such as trees, animals, rocks, rivers, and the sky. These spirits must be appeased or they can bring disaster upon the community. The Ngunda live in fear of these spirits. Village shamans connect the people with the spirit world and give out charms and amulets to protect them.
The Ndunda people need adequate rain for their crops and their livestock so they can live lives free of want and poverty. They need modern medical care and good schools that will help the next generation to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Solar panels can provide electricity to charge cell phones and run appliances. Most of all, the Ngunda need to hear and understand the message of Jesus Christ. He alone can forgive their sins and deliver them from their fear of evil spirits.
Pray for the Lord to raise up a strong disciple making movement to saturate the hearts and minds of the Ndunda people.
Pray for God's blessing, strengthening and healing of families and communities within this people group through the abundant life Jesus offers to all who call on His name.
Pray the Lord moves Nigerian believers to share the gospel with the Ngunda.
Pray for the Lord to multiply the reception and influence of His Word among this people group, leading them to love Him with their whole being.
Scripture Prayers for the Ndunda in Nigeria.
Nigeria Evangelical Missions Association (NEMA)
| Profile Source: Keith Carey |
