Sept. 3, 2010

Solar Radios Delivered in Ghana: Ministries Pledge to Send More
Source: HCJB Global (written by Beth Patton)

In African areas with unpredictable electricity and costly radio batteries, the sky holds no shortage of sunshine, and just a few solar-powered radios can allow small groups and even entire villages to listen.

Ten little SonSet® radios went to Ghana last week, delivered by HCJB Global's Steve Hodgson and Heide Jones to a ministry partner, Theovision, in Accra. Hand-held and solar-powered, these radios are pre-tuned to Theovision's station, NKWA (Life) FM, in Assin Fosu.

With these 10 radios, the total fix-tuned radios delivered in nine African countries comes to
25,758 via the "Turn the Radios On" program begun in 2001. Thousands of the radios have gone to other regions as well.

Accompanying Hodgson and Jones were six radio staff from stations within Moody Radio, based in Chicago, Ill. The network plans to raise funds during listener campaigns from mid-October to mid-November, supplying a goal of up to 5,000 SonSet® radios for HCJB Global's radio partners in Africa.

NKWA (Life) FM in Assin Fosu is only seven months old, but it has already had a great impact on the extended community (its reach is 120 km). A popular radio program is "Thru the Bible", which has been translated into the local Twi language. One of the village elders said he listens to it every morning at 5:30am so that he can learn more about the Bible. But not everyone has a radio. Seeing the solar-powered radios that had been brought to the station, an older woman begged, "How can I get one?"

The HCJB Global/Moody Radio entourage visited a medium-security prison (287 inmates in a facility built for 90), where the warden requires weekly chapel attendance. "I insist that the guest speakers preach salvation," said the warden, adding that an encounter with Christ staves off a return to crime. Prisoners often can't afford either radios or batteries, so the fixed-tuned radios are often distributed in jails.

Ten little SonSet® radios are now at work in Ghana. Together HCJB Global and Moody Radio look forward to sending up to 5,000 more to Africa so that many in remote villages, prisons and hospitals can hear the Good News on partner FM radio stations throughout the region.