Feba South Africa has been piloting a local radio ministry project called Time for Hope to supply FM radio stations in rural areas with quality Bible-based social development programmes.

This project was launched in response to intensive research by Trend Research Associates with the aid of students in Tumahole (pictured with the Feba project coordinator and their school principal) which indicated that a great percentage of residents suffer teenage pregnancies, joblessness, poverty, as well as HIV/AIDS.

“Our ultimate aim is to provide and restore real hope in the lives of suffering people in rural communities around South Africa. There is such a need in the rural areas of our country,” says Rev. Frik Veldman, National Director of Feba South Africa, “These include spiritual needs, financial needs, social needs—really too many to mention; which is why we at Feba feel burdened to address these socio-economic challenges through life-changing radio programmes.” Feba staff greatly value their partnerships with the community FM stations and the promise that this holds for a better tomorrow for the people of their communities.

The project is still very much in a developmental stage but gaining fresh momentum with the recent addition of more stations buying-into the programme. They are working with four community radio stations in the Free State:

• Naledi FM – contract signed and programmes being supplied
• Radio Qwa Qwa and Mosupatsela FM – negotiations almost complete. Feba is supplying these stations with radio programmes from the beginning of May
• Lentswe Stereo, the pilot programme’s initial station, has had staffing issues. Pray that the contract will be agreed soon. They are located in Tumahole, near Parys, where approximately 70,000 Sesotho and Xhosa speaking listeners tune in for news and entertainment.

The Time for Hope radio programmes address socio-economic problems from a Christian perspective. Programmes feature members of the rural community sharing about their daily difficulties and how they struggle to overcome the challenges. Pastors and leaders participate in a panel discussion to address people’s despair and desire to rise above their circumstances by stressing the need for life-change as a first priority. Also experts share advice on how to convert personal skills into unique job opportunities.

Bruce Dube, Feba South Africa’s Time for Hope Programme Co-ordinator, is encouraged by the good response received from the Christian community for the project. “We want people to rise above the current situation by looking at their lives from a biblical perspective. This is what Feba Radio stands for and we are proud of it,” says Bruce.