Christian ministries have delivered 750 solar-powered audio Bibles to Bunia in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Christian Daily International reports. Mission Aviation Fellowship flew the devices in from Nairobi, Kenya, after weeks of delays over flight permissions, border restrictions and aborted flight attempts, according to a Sept. 4 report from MAF Canada and a press release issued Oct. 21. Galcom International, a Christian ministry based in Hamilton, Ontario, supplied the devices.
The radios carry recorded Bible passages and receive live broadcasts from Rebuilders Radio, a local ministry sharing information about how Ebola spreads and how to prevent it. Because they run on solar power, families can listen without conventional electricity. The need is pressing. The World Health Organization reported 9,704 confirmed cases of Bundibugyo virus disease, including 4,687 deaths, across the DRC as of Oct. 20, Christian Daily International reports. Ituri province, where Bunia is located, remained the most affected, with 7,040 confirmed cases and 3,271 deaths.
Getting the devices there took persistence. Galcom first arranged for the 750 devices to be sent from Canada to Nairobi, with plans to carry them overland into the DRC. When that route ran into obstacles, the shipment sat in Nairobi. MAF Canada connected Galcom with its teams in East Africa and the DRC to arrange an air delivery. MAF held special humanitarian authorization to fly into Bunia, but securing the needed permissions still proved difficult.
Canadian missionary pilot Dominic Villeneuve made two attempts that had to be aborted for mechanical problems. A ventilation fan failed on the first try, and an engine temperature gauge malfunctioned on the second. Another MAF pilot completed the delivery, bringing all 750 devices to Bunia so local partners could begin handing them out.
In September, 350 of the devices went out through nine churches serving the Kigonze displaced-persons camp in Bunia, according to the Oct. 21 release, which did not say where the rest will go. Rebuilders Radio staff have distributed the devices through local churches and displacement camps, a role the organizations say matters because insecurity has disrupted in-person ministry in the area. One camp resident, in an interview translated from French, said, "It's a radio that comforts us. And it's a radio that preaches peace."
The broadcasts give practical guidance during the outbreak, and the recorded Scripture is meant to stay with listeners long after the emergency passes, Christian Daily International reports. The organizations have not announced a timetable for further shipments. Galcom hopes the next deliveries will bring health information and God's Word to more displaced families in eastern DRC.
