5 kilowatt solar energy project for the Alternative Youth Radio in Liberia

The Alternative Youth Radio(AYR) which is the first national Youth Radio Station located in Zorzor, Lofa County(northern Liberia), is currently off the air due to the outage of electricity. This situation has existed nearly a month now.

To avert this, we are in the process of generating six thousand($6,000.00) United States Dollars to help us ship, clear and install a 5kw solar system that will provide 24/7 electricity to our facility so as to ensure stable electricity, continuous broadcast and more opportunities for Young people especially those living in rural Liberia.

This project was initiated in early 2016 by a passionate Liberian journalist and advocate James P. Kwabo, Jr. who is also a 2019 semifinalist for the Mandela Washington Fellowship; expected to be held in the United States of America. James’ idea was promoted by his passion to help his home community in rural Liberia immediately following the completion of his undergraduate studies at the United Methodist University where he obtained with Magana Cum-Laude, a Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree in Mass Communication with an emphasis in Broadcasting.

On the overall, as development and fees-for-service project in rural Liberia, AYR provides capacity building supports to emerging community journalists. To date, the station has mentored more than 30 rural community-based young people in journalism, advocacy, and change-making. Fifteen of the mentees, five of whom have already assumed different kinds of managerial roles, were selected to work at the station.

Being established in 2016, the station obtained its Article of Incorporation and Business registration from the Government of Liberia in late 2018 following test transmission and several community-based pieces of training.
The station is housed in its own constructed four studio rooms building constructed on the telecommunication tower in Zorzor, Lofa County (northern Liberia) with a long term plan to establish a television component.

Prior to being off the air, a local GSM company provided electricity support to the station in exchange for air time. Due to change of management and technical reasons, the station is being disconnected; even though there are discussions ongoing towards reconnection. Additionally, the station covered seven of Liberia’s fifteen counties including, Lofa, Bong, Nimba, Gbarpolu, Margibi, a portion of rural Montserrado and Grand Bassa Counties in addition to a vast portion of boarding communities in Sierra Leone and Guinea respectively. Collectively, the station broadcast covered an estimated population of over five hundred and fifty-thousand residents within the reach of the station.