World Amateur Radio Day is held on April 18 each year. It is celebrated worldwide by radio amateurs and their national associations which are organized as member societies of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU).
Long before the invention of the World Wide Web, there were a group of pioneers who discovered the glories of worldwide communication and the joy of communicating with people all over the world instantly through Amateur Radio.
International Amateur Radio Day reminds us of these great pioneers, their modern descendants, and how radio has been serving a worldwide community for well over 100 years.
On World Amateur Radio Day, all radio amateurs are invited to take to the airwaves to enjoy global friendship with other amateurs, and to show their skills and capabilities to the public.
International Amateur Radio Union was formed in Paris in, 1925 hence the formation of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU).
Since its founding, the International Amateur Radio Union has worked tirelessly to defend and expand the frequency allocations for Amateur Radio.
Today, according to IARU, Amateur Radio is more popular than ever, with more than 3,000,000 licensed operators.
“Human Security for All, HS4A,” is the theme for this year’s amateur radio day.
The United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security and the World Academy of Art and Science are partnering with IARU in a campaign to highlight the role that amateur radio plays in addressing the world’s most pressing needs.
BY NKATHA WAINAINA