This latest edition of the Baibala is fully bilingual with parallel text in Hawaiian and English. It is the first Hawaiian Bible to have diacritical markings in the new orthography. Great care and consideration was taken by dozens of scholars, teachers and volunteers into perfecting the Baibala Hemolele.

The Baibala will be released at a free, public event tomorrow night (Tuesday, November 20) at the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives. The event will run from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM, and include tours, special exhibitions, a short program (at 6:00 PM), and pūpū.

Hawaiian Mission Houses will have trade editions of the Baibala ready for purchase at the event. We also have a PIDF version of the Baibala available for a special pre-sale price of $50. See the flyer below for more information.

Although it is a religious text, Ka Baibala Hemolele is also a vital resource for families and students of the Hawaiian language. Hawaiian families have traditionally used the Baibala as a way to practice and perfect Hawaiian language reading and comprehension.

Baibala Hemolele, or the Hawaiian Bible Project, has been a program of Partners in Development Foundation since 2002. It initially started as a way to preserve the original editions of the Hawaiian Bible and make them available in a digital format to the public.

The project has since evolved to include a complete rewriting of the Hawaiian Bible to a standardized modern orthography. Efforts to digitally preserve the Baibala will continue, as will the creation of audio recordings online to help with pronunciation, cadence and intonation.

Parking for the launch event will be available at the nearby Kamehameha Schools’ Kawaiahaʻo Plaza parking structure after 5:00 PM. Enter on Kawaiahaʻo Street, and be sure to remove your vehicle before the parking closes at 8:30 PM. We hope you will join us in celebration at the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives.

Partnering with Kamehameha Schools and Kanaeokana (a network of Hawaiian language, Hawaiian culture, and Hawaiʻi-based schools), Duolingo held a launch event at SALT at Our Kakaʻako on Monday.

We were excited to see the enthusiasm of the dozens of attendees at learning more ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language). People of all ages gathered around laptops and smartphones to explore the language and test their knowledge.

Duolingo is not the first language-learning platform to have Hawaiian on its lengthy list of languages, but it is the most-used platform in the world with over 200 million active users – according to its website.

The courses are part of Duolingo’s effort to to keep endangered languages alive, said Michaela Kron, the public relations manager for Duolingo, in an interview with the Pittsburgh Business Times.

The version released Monday is a beta version that is only available through the website. Hawaiian is due to be released on the app later this week.

If you have further interest in learning or practicing ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, be on the lookout for our release of the first full bilingual (diacritically-marked) Hawaiian and English Bible! The launch will be Tuesday, November 20, 2018.

One such student was Camryn Guzman, who took the time to interview our program to find out some of the needs of our families. She was immediately drawn to helping out homeless elementary-aged students who lack not only basic necessities for life but for school. So, over spring break, by coordinating with her church and community, Camryn collected schools supplies for homeless school-aged children and dropped them off at our office for distribution by our outreach team.

It is encouraging to see so many youth with a desire to better the lives of vulnerable children and families in their community. Mahalo Camryn!

One such student was Rachel Radona, who took time away from her spring break to volunteer at the preschool. At such a young age, Rachel has a huge heart and maturity beyond her years. The keiki and ‘ohana at the Pai‘olu Kaiāulu shelter and Kau‘iokalani Public Housing enjoyed having Rachel at the preschool; she spent her time reading to the children and interacting with them at different learning centers. She also donated gently used books and healthy snacks. When asked if she would come back to volunteer, she held her 2 thumbs up and replied “Yes!” Mahalo nui loa Rachel for spending your spring break with us! A hui hou.

Nainoa raised money by organizing a garage sale, purchased supplies and with the help of Uncle Bill Castro, built two planter boxes that he donated to the USVets Pai‘olu Kaiāulu Shelter in Wai‘anae so that shelter residents could grow plants and vegetables. USVets Executive Director Gladys Peraro (second from left) and USVets Community Relations Coordinator Rita Martin (left) were on site to receive the finished planter boxes from Nainoa.

We often underestimate the potential of young people to enact social change, but Nainoa’s example proves that service can start at any age, even in the sixth grade. Mahalo to Nainoa, his parents Vicky and Derrick, and Uncle Bill Castro for their heart for service.

On December 7, 2012 the sixth grade classes from Kamehameha Schools blessed our families by donating over a hundred boxes filled with Christmas cheer. The boxes were brought to the office and sorted by the teachers who then brought them to their sites and distributed them to their keiki.

The parents and family members smiled with gratitude as each of the keiki received their Christmas box filled with love. Santa Claus even rode in from the North Pole to assist with the festivities. Cheers and laughter, smiles and giggles filled the room as each child was blessed with their box.