North Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a place where people measure life by the sound of footsteps at night and wake each morning to terrifying uncertainty. When armed violence from rebels and militants swept through the Kichanga village, many lost neighbours, friends, and whole families. Everything in the community collapsed; schools closed, the already fragile sense of safety was completely gone, and people were left to pick up the pieces of their broken lives.
Yet even after the Kichanga Massacre, one thing remained: the steady voice of radio. It became the heartbeat of recovery, reminding people that despite living in one of the most dangerous places in the world to follow Jesus, He is their one true hope and the anchor for their souls.
For broadcaster Jean-Baptiste Mbilinyama, the massacre was personal.
“These were people we knew,” he recalls, “we grieved with them”. Despite their personal trauma, Jean-Baptiste and the team remained steadfast in their mission. “We decided our microphones would not go silent.”
Through radio, Jean-Baptiste and the team offered the community encouragement, safety information, and, above all, a space for voices to speak, which had been long silenced by fear. On-air, survivors spoke directly to government officials, humanitarian workers, and the wider world.
Jean-Baptiste recalls how beyond news, the station sowed seeds of renewal—literally. “Programmes on small-scale farming and livestock helped families fight famine, while education campaigns brought children, especially girls, back to school.
Now, through a solar-powered transmitter you helped fund, Umoja Radio stays on air for 18 hours each day. Held together by courage, hope and prayer, your support means the gospel still reaches those hiding in the hills.
That’s what we’re part of—the unbelievable work of broadcasters like Jean-Baptiste, keeping Christ’s voice alive where it could have been silenced long ago.
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