Trans World Radio-Africa receives thousands of listener responses monthly. These take the form of letters, faxes, e-mails, phone calls and text messages from cell phones. Many share their testimonies and tell of how TWR’s programmes have changed their lives. Some ask for Bibles and literature.

However, this month TWR staff received a letter with a difference. It was written in braille. As no one at TWR was able to read the letter, one of our staff members, Rudolf Kabutz and his wife, Karen, took it upon themselves to look on the internet for a way to “decode” the letter.

The letter was from a 24 year old young man living in a remote part of Zimbabwe asking TWR for a wind-up radio. As he can’t read, the only way he could “read” the Bible is to listen to TWR’s programmes in his home language. However, this was not always possible as he didn’t own a radio of his own. If he could receive a radio from TWR it would make a difference to his life.

Normally TWR distributes wind-up radios to church leaders and pastors for listener groups. However, touched by his story and his request, we decided to send him a radio

Published 23 October 2007