For 15 years, the San José de Puerto Lempira parish (Mission in Honduras) has been broadcasting, through the airwaves of the Catholic Radio “Kupia Kumi,” to all the communities of the Department of Gracias a Dios, better known as La Moskitia (16,997 km2 of extension and an estimated population of 100,000 inhabitants).

During all this time of transmission, it has been an excellent means of evangelization, social communication, news… But, above all, it has been a means of communion between communities so remote and isolated, where no other means of communication could reach. Even today, there are still many communities that do not have mobile phone signal and the only means of communication and information is still our radio.

Thanks to the efforts of many people, during all these years our radio is the one that has remained faithful to all the radio listeners, emitting in spite of the difficulties: problems with the energy, electrical storms that have damaged the antenna, the equipment…

For years, given the instability of energy in this area, has been struggling to get a solar system that could submit the radio signal and approach it to be more self-sustainable and ecological. An attempt was made a few years ago, but it did not work. This did not diminish the hopes that one day we could emit with solar energy, thus taking care of our Common House, when using a renewable energy, following the lines of the Encyclical “Laudato si,” of Pope Francis, that the Catholic Church of Honduras has taken as a pastoral objective for this year 2018.

Four years ago, we obtained from the UNDP the donation of the solar panels necessary to make what, until now, was only a hope. In 2016, through the Ad Gentes Foundation of the Archdiocese of Valencia (Spain), we obtained the gel batteries so that this dream was closer to being fulfilled. And, finally, this year, through different private donors in Spain, we got all the necessary equipment: regulators, inverter, wiring, load center… Therefore, it has been a slow, but safe… as we say here: “tawa tawa.”

All that was left was to put all the pieces together, put everything in the hands of God and… The result is that, since last Monday, October 8 of this year 2018, we are emitting completely with solar energy, so that the emission is uninterrupted from the morning until the night.

So we can only thank God and thank all those who have made this dream come true, and together with them proclaim: Laudato si! [Praised Be God!]

Isaac Demets, C.M.

Source: http://misionerospaules.org/