In Canada we often take for granted the amount of information at our fingertips. With mobile phones, satellite radio, digital cable, and the Internet, we are a country that is "plugged in." In rural Kasenga, Democratic Republic of Congo, there are no phone lines, newspapers, televisions, mail delivery, or places to access the Internet. Villagers could only communicate by word-of-mouth—until they got a community radio station. 

In partnership with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), World Vision helped Kasenga set up its first community radio station in September 2005. The radio station had significant impacts on the Kasenga community. Some of these successes include:

Above all, the radio station has enabled people in town to feel more unified, not only at the local level, but also with the rest of the country. One local government leader said that the first time he heard the national news on the radio he was overwhelmed with emotion because he suddenly felt truly Congolese.

The radio station is located in a church and is run by a committee comprised of elected community members. The committee determines radio programming. However, the community residents can voice their concerns and offer suggestions through letters, as well as at regularly held feedback meetings.

In partnership with the Congolese National Broadcast Company, World Vision helped select and train ten residents as volunteer radio journalists. Journalists learned how to gather information and present a radio show, as well as the importance of ethical reporting. Many of the journalists feel they have grown intellectually from the daily practice of listening and interpreting information and have a new-found confidence in public speaking.