Christian radio in Africa gets boost from Canadian

From Newfoundland to Burkina Faso

Wayne Squires (left), owner of Electronic Centre Ltd., in St. John’s, Nfld., has united his career in wireless technology with his heart for Africa. Twenty years ago, at the age of 52, he travelled to Burkina Faso in West Africa to see if his experience in satellite radio could be of use. There he met a man named Boni Chabi Honoré, who was assigned as his translator. The two shared a similar passion for evangelism and radio – and the rest, as they say, is history.

Honoré now leads a nonprofit called Sun of Hope Missions (www.SunOfHope.net) based in Parakou, Benin, West Africa. Squires travels there several times a year to assist in their mission, which is two-fold: (1) to provide technical support, studio equipment maintenance and training to local radio stations in return for airtime for their Christian programming, and (2) to reach people with the Word of God who have historically been unreachable, including the Fulani tribe that numbers 20 million across West Africa.

“The team on the ground is there to reach people of their own tribes, and a lot of our resources are focused on the Fulani,” says Squires.

Relationship building is key to the organization’s success, and Honoré’s wife Priscilla is a key part of this effort. In her role as a licensed veterinarian, she offers free vaccinations for the