TWR knows the difference education can make in a child’s life. Through TWR Kenya’s Atoo Sifa station in Kakuma, listeners are able to learn about health, Bible stories and the importance of education. This station has been broadcasting live from Kakuma for over eight months now and has continued to gain popularity among refugees in the refugee camp and those in the host community.
Periodically, the station invites the Ministry of Education and other organisations to come and talk about the importance of education. The station also broadcasts Bible Stories Alive, which is a programme for children produced in partnership with A Visit with Mrs. G Ministries in Toronto. This programme is well-loved by both refugee children and local children. It has also become popular on an online streaming platform and had children participating from Mombasa, a coastal city which is about 1,200 km from Kakuma!
Our team at Kakuma first met Simon when he was grazing about 20 goats in the plains surrounding Atoo Sifa radio station. One day, he arrived carrying a clear plastic bottle of brown water. He had fetched the water from a nearby lagga (the muddy remnant of a dry riverbed) to drink while looking after the goats.
Simon is about six years old and in the Kenyan school system he should be in grade one or two, but he has never been to school and there are no signs of him ever attending. This is very common in Turkana County, where parents rely on their children to take care of livestock and don’t see the value in sending their kids to school. The staff at the station continue to engage in conversation with local child shepherds whenever they bring their flocks close to the station compound.
In the nearby Kakuma refugee camp, the refugee children receive free education, but there are unique challenges that hamper refugee children from attaining the highest level of education.
Within the camp, Papa T, a faithful listener of the Kakuma station, acts as a guardian for many of the refugee children living there. He has organised a children’s listener group, and every Saturday morning, he gathers children in the refugee camp to listen to the radio.
Join us as we praise God for the new station at Kakuma refugee camp and the clear signal that has been broadcasting for over eight months now. We are so grateful for the work TWR Kenya is doing to promote childhood education and how they are using Bible Stories Alive to share God’s love with refugee children. Please pray that those listening to the broadcast would find hope in Jesus Christ.