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LIVE AT KAKUMA!

16 March 2021

After construction delays due to COVID-19, we are happy to report that the Kakuma station is broadcasting! The station extends TWR programmes to the people of Kakuma Refugee Camp (mostly refugees from South Sudan, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia, among others). Kakuma is home to 250,000 refugees and asylum seekers from thirty-nine different countries, with the numbers growing daily.

The station went live on the 6th October 2020 and has been gaining popularity with listenership growing each day. The initial signal monitoring revealed that the output reaches nearly 60km farther than expected. When the main power is connected to supplement the solar power, the team will increase the power to 1000W, which will allow the station to reach some parts of South Sudan. Below are some of the first responses from new listeners:

“My name is Mathew, and I heard the radio for the first time this morning. When I tuned in, it played easily. Now I am hooked. I really love it, and I can’t stop listening. I love the gospel songs and as I have listened, I have been blessed.”

“Five Stars! We are really happy! The signal is very audible and nice. What a wonderful radio station.”

Based on the responses received through the live studio line, most listeners are refugees. Some of them are motorbike taxi drivers who occasionally drive TWR staff to work. Others sell vegetables and different products in the open-air market along the main roads. Through conversation and observation, TWR staff are determining the kinds of specific programmes they can provide for listeners. Psychological support programmes, educational programmes on relationships, HIV/AIDS as well as Bible teaching programmes will benefit the camp.

The issue of education is of great concern in the Turkana region, where the love of livestock overrides the love of education. Family life rotates around livestock, and children help take care of the animals. Families are hesitant to send their children to school. Parents insist on keeping the most intelligent of their kids at home, as they are seen as responsible enough to look after between 100-300 goats and sheep, making sure that none escape. The other children are permitted to attend school.

In conversations with the child grazers, TWR staff have observed and confirmed what is said about them. Most of them are very intelligent. Philip, one of the boys who grazes animals around the radio compound, has been able to assemble broken pieces of radio parts picked from the trash. He has been able to make a radio out of them and he is now able to listen to the broadcasts. He knew each of the presenters by name and the show they host even before meeting them. He says he would one day like to be an engineer.

“These are just some of the needs of our listeners that we have observed in the short time that we have been on the air,” said TWR Kenya staff. “Other issues affecting the community are early marriage and constant famines due to little or no rain. We thank God that we are here on the ground. As we continue to interact with our audience, we know we shall discover more needs and will endeavour to speak life and trust God to provide all we need.”

On the 11th November 2020, the station was dedicated. The dedication was attended by three of TWR Kenya’s management team, as well as local pastors. After speeches, there was a time of prayer where each pastor prayed live on the air. Afterwards, each guest planted a tree to commemorate the day and left with a gift of a Bible and Christian literature to read.

 

Join us as we pray for this new radio station that will minister to the people at Kakuma. Pray for the ongoing impact the radio station will have on these communities and pray that this ministry will continue to grow.

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