Solar-Powered Audio Bibles Bring Hope To Mozambique
In the heart of Mozambique, a quiet transformation is taking place — powered not by electricity, but by sunlight and faith.
Missionaries Rolland and Heidi Baker, for nearly three decades, have been working among some of the most marginalized communities in the country through their organization Iris Global.
The couple said they longed to get to Africa as part of their Christian ministry, which saw them going to Mozambique. Arriving in 1995, they stepped into a nation still reeling from war and poverty, ranked at the time as one of the poorest country in the world. Years later, after the devastating civil war, the country has its challenges. It was recently affected by floods and political unrest.
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“Giving people these solar audio bibles is always so much fun. His face just lit up when he heard it reading to him in his own language,” Heidi Baker said during a distribution trip.
Upon their arrival, the couple took over an orphanage that had been neglected. The missionary efforts at the orphanage were cut off as the government evicted them, affecting 320 children. As a result, they lost everything.
The couple has worked in the marginalized communities across the East African nation of 34.8 million (which is 55% Christian) preaching the Gospel. Rolland and Heidi Baker, through their organization, introduced solar-powered audio Bibles to support remote communities.
An audio solar-powered Bible is a portable device that allows users to listen to the book’s texts. In Mozambique, this has helped communities without electricity, and given men and women who can’t read the ability to hear God's Word in their own language.
These Bibles, provided by Iris Global, offer a way to share the gospel and provide access to scripture in areas with limited resources. The Bakers and their ministry have lived in Mozambique for 30 years, with a focus on reaching the poorest of the poor, often in regions where access to education and basic resources is scarce. The use of audio Bibles, especially solar-powered ones, has enabed broader accessibility in areas lacking reliable infrastructure.
Church leaders said it has been an effective tool because it is both durable and easy to carry, which makes it perfect for getting into remote regions, not only without electricity but also no radio signals.
“These communities could not receive the Word of God without the missionaries,” one local pastor Carlos Chongo said. “Nobody prioritises them due to poor literacy, damaged roads, and a lack of basic services. This device is a game changer.”
A simple device is revolutionizing mission work in some of the remote and hardest-to-reach places on earth. Iris Global said many want to listen to the Bible in audio on an MP3 player.
Thirty-seven years ago, Tom Treseder drew the first concepts of an audio Bible. The founders of MegaVoice pioneered the development of the first solar-powered, digital audio Bible. Reaching the estimated four billion individuals who cannot read God's life-giving Word for themselves was their goal. Since 1988, they have supplied about 4 million Bible players to date. On average, 10 or more individuals listen to each player.
While distributing solar-powered audio Bibles in Nicandavala, an inland village of Mozambique, community members expressed deep gratitude for receiving the Word of God. For many, this marks the first time they can hear scripture daily in their own language. In such remote and previously unreached areas, the Gospel is now reaching hearts through these audio devices, bringing light, faith and transformation to communities that once lived in spiritual silence.
An extensive scripture audio library featuring 30,000 Scripture titles in over 8000 languages and dialects is also available from MegaVoice, the company that makes solar audio bibles. Since September 2024, the entire Bible has been available in 600 languages. MegaVoice now manufactures a growing range of digital audio players that run on solar power for humanitarian and Christian purposes.
In similar efforts, Bible Society Australia, MegaVoice Australia, and the Barbara May Foundation have plans to provide 650 solar-powered audio Bibles to fistula patients in Africa by 2025. This initiative is anticipated to share the gospel in local languages and encourage safer childbirth, maternal health education, and efficient local healthcare.
“These communities have been affected by wars and many things and did not go to school,” said Aflredo Machava, a developmental advocate and Christian. “They are illiterate and the audio Bibles are the only way for them to hear the word of God. Without electricity, solar becomes handy. So, everything is supplied on one gadget.”
Calvin Manika is an award-winning international journalist based in Zimbabwe.