School children carry mud blocks to the Radio Tonyah construction site.

Radio Tonya 98.4 FM

Tongo Field, Kenema District,
Sierra Leone

Tongo Field is a diamond mining community where miners report extremely difficult working conditions, and people aspire to improve education and health services. Tongo Field citizens sought FWA’s help in launching a radio station to help achieve those goals, and increase transparency and accountability of their government. The station has been constructed with the help of a $25,000 grant from FWA, and is negotiating an agreement with the Africell company to draw power from the company’s generator.

The Tongo Field community decided on the work “Tonya”, because it means ‘truth’ in the local Mende language, and want to hold the station accountable for providing accurate information.