The Founder

Light of Africa Network grew out of the vision, the determination, and the engagement of its founder, Dr. C. Donald Nelson (1925- 2004). Dr. Nelson’s career as a medical doctor began in the former Belgian Congo in 1953, where he quickly developed a reputation as a competent and caring physician in a region where modern medical facilities were few and far between.

In addition to his work as the only doctor keeping a 150 bed hospital operating at Ruanguba (seen in the foreground in the picture on the Home page), one of his early responsibilities was to develop health clinics in rural areas and to assist in the training of medical assistants who could provide basic treatment to those in need. He was a very practical person, examining patients in the mornings, performing surgery in the early afternoons, and directing construction projects in the late afternoons. A fellow missionary once described him as the doctor who in reaching in his pocket for a stethoscope would pull out a pair of pliers with it. Unrelenting in his work habits, he always felt more could be done to help others.

Along with his wife, Laura, and five sons, he remained in Africa for several turbulent years following Congo's Independence from Belgian colonialism in June of 1960. During those final years in the Congo, he witnessed firsthand the consequences of violence and social disorder. The memory of those experiences never left him.

He later settled in Redding, California, where he set up a medical practice. He also dabbled in real-estate development, not to enrich himself but to fund philanthropy efforts. He loved nothing more than to be able to take off his latex surgical gloves in the afternoons and put on a pair of leather gloves to operate a bulldozer or road grader. Most notable among his philanthropy efforts was the founding and construction of the Hospital of Light in the Caribbean nation of Haiti. In addition, he did much in the last decade of his life to reach out to victims of drug abuse in his hometown of Redding, California, by offering medical treatment, halfway homes and spiritual counsel.

The Founding of Light of Africa Network

Dr. Nelson's earlier commitment to a medical ministry in the Congo began to preoccupy him more and more as he contemplated retiring from his medical practice in Redding. He began to envision starting a charitable organization, with a generous contribution of his assets from his real estate developments to be used as seed money, while seeking to encourage others to join this effort. Communicating a message of peace, hope and reonciliation through the gospel of Jesus Christ by using the medium of radio programs was key to his thinking. His interest in making radio a part of his vision came from his son Dan, who had worked for many years in radio ministry in Haiti. Dr. Nelson and his son Dan revisited the Congo in 2000 as Dr. Nelson's vision was developing. But Dr. Nelson was never one to separate Christian ministry from education, medical healing, and other forms of assistance. He envisioned radio programs educating people about personal health issues, HIV/AIDS prevention and treatments, community values and social development.

In the summer of 2000 he invested in yet another large tract of land near Cottonwood, California, dedicating the development of the property and the profits from subsequent real estate sales to help fund Light of Africa Network. Three months later, he was diagnosed with metastasized prostate cancer. In the final two-and-a-half years of his life, as his health and strength slowly declined, he remained steadfastly devoted to laying the groundwork for LoAN. When he could find the energy, he even continued to get on a road grader once in a while to make improvements to properties. He also sought out dedicated and qualified people to serve on a board of directors for the new foundation and he worked with them to draw up plans for making Light of Africa Network into a NGO with a mission. Upon his death on July 11, 2007, much of his estate was donated to provide the seed funding for LoAN. This long-range plan to provide supplemental funding is being continued for the benefit of LoAN

Following the death of Dr. Nelson, members of the board of directors pressed ahead with his plans. Assistance had already been given to help set up a new radio station in Goma and to assist local staff members in developing programming. Radio Sauti ya Injili now broadcasts daily from Goma. More recently, our Field Coordinator, Camille Ntoto, has focused attention on radio programming and the translation of materials, making use of LoAN's new Christian Media Resource Center in Goma. Camille is also cultivating networks for sharing media materials across Africa. Camille's spouse and co-coordinator, Esther Ntoto, has plunged into a ministry to women who have been victims of rape and suffer from fistula complications, and others displaced and disadvantaged by strife. The latest updates on all these efforts are available on this website, as are developing plans for further projects.