That was my first thought when a colleague approached me about helping a radio ministry in the country of Burundi.
The radio ministry is called Radio Voix d’Espoir (Radio Voice of Hope) and is located on the campus of Hope Africa University in Bujumbura, Burundi. Located in Central Africa, Burundi is surrounded by Rwanda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, covering an area about the size of Hawaii.
My task was to install new computer systems, do some training and evaluate their current studio and equipment needs.
Located on the third floor of the academic building, Radio Voix d’Espoir provides Christian programming 18 hours a day to their listeners. The station has a few full-time staff as well as volunteers who are also students, many whose field of study is in communications. The station and the students are benefited with first-hand practical experience while also using their gifting in Christian service.
The radio station broadcasts in four languages throughout the day; French, Kirundi, English and Swahili. While in Burundi, the radio station had a special two-day event inviting listeners to call in and express what the radio station means to them.
One reoccurring request was for the radio station to operate 24 hours a day instead of 18 hours. Also, many requested that Radio Voix d’Espoir expand their broadcast throughout the provinces. One of the issues that I addressed while in country was getting their main transmitter site back on the air in order to reach a broader listener audience. The site had been off for over a year.
Thankfully, with the help of a local engineer and tower rigger, we were successful in getting the main site back on-air giving more coverage throughout Burundi.
[Pray as Alan continues to remotely assist Radio Voice of Hope in the scheduling of their programs.]
Written by Alan Good