In early 2024, as ministry leaders across Africa prepared for another year of outreach and discipleship, something new arrived in their hands: a powerful, research-informed Scripture engagement program designed specifically for the next generation.
A Better Way to Life is one of OneHope’s latest Books of Hope for Africa, created to reflect the real, everyday concerns of young people. But this was not just another update; it was a response built on listening and learning from data that revealed what African teens themselves said they needed.
Listening First: What Research Told Us
The journey began in 2021, when OneHope’s Product Development team set out to replace the Africa Youth Book, a long-standing Scripture Engagement resource, with something more relevant to today’s context. To ensure the new program truly met young people where they were, the team turned to research.
Using an abbreviated version of the Global Youth Culture (GYC) study, researchers surveyed 1,126 teens across 12 African countries, ages 13 to 19. Unlike the original GYC study, which relied solely on online responses, this round included in-person surveys that captured the voices of youth in rural, semi-urban, and urban schools, including Francophone countries and teens with limited internet access.
The results were revealing.
Teens across the continent expressed a deep desire to understand their identity and purpose. Topics like success, forgiveness, family and friend relationships, mental health, sexuality, and social media surfaced as priorities. The data showed that over 2 in 5 teens reported loneliness, and more than 1 in 3 reported symptoms of depression and high anxiety. Strikingly, 9% said they had attempted suicide, a sobering statistic that translated to 94 teens in the study alone.
From Insight to Innovation
These insights became the blueprint for A Better Way to Life. Each chapter is grounded in Scripture and directly addresses what teens said they were struggling with. The program was designed to help students:
- Recognize they are made in God’s image
- Identify God and the Bible as their ultimate sources of truth
- Apply biblical truth to real issues like social media addiction, sex, identity, and mental health
Once the new book was developed, OneHope launched a pilot across several countries in early 2024. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Teens engaged deeply with the content and demonstrated growth in areas like mental health and understanding their identity in Christ.
Leaders praised the resource for its contextual relevance, with many planning to integrate it into their regular outreach. At the same time, the pilot revealed opportunities to strengthen the program, like expanding leader training on sensitive topics, improving engagement strategies for boys, and refining visuals for broader cultural appeal.
A Better Way Is Just the Beginning
Today, A Better Way to Life is being distributed across the continent in schools, churches, and youth ministries, equipping leaders to speak into the deepest needs of a generation.
Programs like A Better Way to Life contributed to engaging more than 32 million children and youth across Africa with God’s Word this year.
Built on research. Rooted in truth. Designed for transformation.
This is innovation with impact.
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OneHope Team
- 12 Dec 2025
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