International Mission Board Helps in Flood Relief Efforts in Suriname

|PIC1|The International Mission Board was quick to the scene after severe flooding in the South American country of Suriname left thousands of Aukan villagers along the Tapanahoni River in urgent need of assistance.

Days of torrential rain left more than 10,000 to 15,500 square miles of Suriname’s remote rainforest swamped with water in what the country’s government called an “unprecedented” crisis. An estimated 22,000 people were forced to abandon their homes while another 15,000 are estimated to be severely affected by the floods.

IMB missionaries Charles and Brittany Shirey were just two of the 60 per cent of the population along the Tapanahoni River displaced by the high waters.

Their Gospel radio ministry, Radio Paakati, has jumped into overtime since the flooding to lift the spirits of the displaced communities through encouraging Bible stories as well as keep to them informed with any developments in the relief effort.

|TOP|According to Charles, the radio station is playing a critical role as one of the few communication hubs of the crisis for the extremely isolated Aukan people who live deep in the jungle.

The Aukan people are cut off from electronic communication, with the exception of Radio Paataki, with no television, mobile phone or computer, and are more than 100 miles from the nearest road, making access only possible by air or boat.

Radio Paataki has managed to stay on the air since the flooding with the help of a gas generator, 15-foot stilts as the studio’s foundation, and a DJ and emergency studio temporarily stationed on the top of the mountain where the radio’s transmitter stands.

Not only has the regular 5pm to 11pm programme been expanded to include two hours in the morning and afternoon, they have also continued to run the Bible stories and Christian music.

|AD|Shirey stressed how crucial it was for the station to keep up with the broadcasting, especially at such a time of crisis, adding that the Aukaners had come to depend on Radio Paataki after its three years of operation.

The radio station has been able to increase its standing with the Aukaners through the crisis and has also been given an extra US$22,000 for relief work.

According to IMB strategy coordinator Tim McClard, the money is being used primarily to airlift thousands of food packets and other aid material from Suriname’s capital, Paramaribo, to dozens of small airstrips scattered throughout the interior.

McClard reported that the high cost of the charter flights was preventing aid groups from getting the vital relief supplies to the flood victims. The IMB has sponsored more than 20 flights, which have also been used to evacuate the displaced communities to Paramaribo.

The relief money has also been used to provide petrol for the gas-powered boats used as the main mode of transport for many of the Aukan people and which have proved vital in distributing more than 600 food packets throughout the flooded communities.

“It has given us huge credibility steps with men,” said Charles. “When I showed up with the food, they just kept saying, ‘Charles, we really thank you for this, this is a big thing – you came out here when we needed help, and you’re still here now’.”

Charles hopes that one of the lasting effects of the relief work undertaken by IMB in the flood-affected regions will be hearts won to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the love of God.