For the first time, villagers around Buala, Isabel Province in Solomon Islands, were able to listen to Hope FM Buala 101.1 after the Hope technical team and Telekom installed a satellite dish and transmitter during the week of April 19.
According to Hope FM technical director Michael Teobasi, the new signal will help to reach more people in remote areas.
“Solomon Islands is full of villages in nine different main island provinces. We cannot carry the gospel to most of the villages, depending on the remote area. By sea, it takes a lot of fuel, and by terrain, walking takes hours or even days, but with radio, the message can travel by air to reach them,” he explained.
Eager to take Hope FM to more villages, Isabel Province district director Minister Brine Solomon and his church members distributed small battery-powered transistor FM radios in a nearby village on Fera Island—located 10 minutes away from Buala by boat.
“From our phone conversations, he told me people were receiving them with big smiles and appreciated their visit,” said Mr Teobasi.
With COVID-19, health message programs by Dr Chester Kuma have been attracting a larger audience, teaching health principles to prevent chronic diseases and creating more opportunities to have the listeners also tuning in for the Bible study and discussion programs.
“Although we are short in staffing and volunteers, this radio is here to change the lives of our people, something that is already happening here in Honiara—the capital—and we believe the provinces will follow through,” said Mr Teobasi.
