Many congregations around the world rely on a variety of technical solutions to hold meetings during the pandemic. But some of our brothers who live in remote areas with limited access to the Internet have gone to great lengths to maintain their normal spiritual routine, while adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols. Consider a few examples from Africa.

Many brothers and sisters do not have Internet access, so they cannot use Zoom. Each week, the Malawi branch sends video files of the meetings to the elders in each congregation via the cell phone network. The elders then distribute the files to the publishers in their congregation.

But this presented a challenge for the 28 publishers in the Tcharo Congregation, who live in a mountainous area in northern Malawi near Lake Malawi. Since the mountains block cell phone service in the area, an elder must travel many kilometers to where the signal is strong. Afterwards, the elder travels back to the region and walks through the mountains to get close enough to each Witness home to send the files using wireless Bluetooth technology.

Recently, the elders were happy to discover that they can get a stronger cell signal much closer to home—on Lake Malawi. Aboard a canoe on the lake, away from the mountains, the brothers are able to download the video files. This saves the elders a significant amount of travel time.

To “visit” congregations in remote areas of northwestern Mozambique, circuit overseers in this region deliver their talks via cell phones. Since conference calling is often not available, it is not unusual for circuit overseers to deliver talks with many phones laid out in front of them, each one connected to a different household in the congregation.

Some of the publishers live in areas so remote that they do not have cellular network reception near their homes. When it is time for a meeting, the brothers and sisters walk through the bush until they have cell phone reception. Once they are connected, they sit down at that location and listen to the program.

Brother Yohane Vinho, a circuit overseer in the area, explains that “many brothers and sisters go to great lengths to benefit from the meetings,” thus enabling them to remain spiritually strong despite isolation. Another circuit overseer, Brother Carlos Cortazão, goes on to explain: “We feel as if we are still with the brothers at the Kingdom Hall, sharing our comments and singing the songs together. We really can see Jehovah’s hand as he continues to feed his people spiritually during this pandemic.”—John 21:17.