Displaced families in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where insecurity has disrupted church visits and Ebola is still spreading, now have a new way to hear Scripture and health advice: solar-powered audio Bibles that double as radios.
More than 700 of the devices have arrived in Bunia, in Ituri province. Supplied by the Canadian ministry Galcom International, each holds recorded Bible passages and can tune in to Rebuilders Radio, a local ministry that broadcasts guidance on how Ebola spreads and how to prevent it. Solar charging means listeners don’t need mains electricity.
Rebuilders Radio staff are handing them out through churches and camps. In September, 350 went to nine churches serving people at the Kigonze camp, according to a Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), which didn’t say where the rest have gone. One resident said the radio brings comfort and speaks of peace.
However, getting them there was a complex challenge and took weeks. Galcom first planned to send the radios overland from Nairobi, but that route ran into obstacles, and the shipment stayed in Kenya. MAF then arranged to fly them in. Despite holding humanitarian authorisation, it needed clearance from three countries, each with its own outbreak rules, pilot Dominic Villeneuve said.
Two of his attempts ended early, one because of a ventilation fan fault and one because of a faulty engine temperature gauge. Another MAF pilot made the delivery.
Galcom says a further 5,000 radios have been shipped and it is raising money for another 5,000 it hopes to send before Christmas. Executive director Tim Whitehead said the aim is to give more families practical information that could protect their lives, along with the Gospel.
The outbreak in the region is caused by Bundibugyo virus, a rarer strain of Ebola with no approved vaccine, and was declared in Ituri province on 15 May. The World Health Organization declared a global health emergency two days later, and it is the DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak.
This month, the WHO recorded 9,704 confirmed cases and 4,687 deaths nationwide, with more than 7,000 of the cases in Ituri.