The Bishop's House

We were treated to a very nice visit at the bishop's house at the end of our day on Thursday. Grace wanted to show us the house, a parsonage owned by the diocese, and her husband was home as well. We saw the view of the lake from the backyard, learned a Swahili children's song, and prayed together in the living room. We didn't see any monkeys, though, which disappointed Grace. 

Tumaini Children's Center

Nancy Moe writes...

Children living in the streets of Bukoba because of psychological or physical abuse or because rural kids think life is better in the city can find help at the Tumaini Center. Here they can get counseling, food, clothes, and a safe place to live and go to school. Counselors work to find family members who will take the children in. This is in the best interest of everyone. 

The shamba (small farm) we visited had 57 kids who sang and danced for us. We saw the new building project, a dining/chapel hall, and learned about how they hope to keep mold out of the building by weaving dry banana leaves into a mat and putting that between the foundation and ground. This shamba also has pigs, chickens, corn, and a vegetable garden that the children help with. 

When the children asked us if there were children like them where we come from, we had to say, "yes." I didn't want this to be what we have in common. 

The staff are committed to the success of these children. I saw in them patience and hope. They are very proud of the children they helped to make a better life. 

The Hills Are Alive...in Tanzania

Meghan McLaughlin's reflections on Thursday. 

Today was another amazing day in Tanzania. We began the day with a visit to the ELCT Women’s Center, which is an educational center for young women raising children, along with a kindergarten program. The purpose of the program is to invite young women living in villages to come to the center for seminars that are designed to empower women and their children. They provide training in specific trades that will help them support their families, as well as up-to-date information about health and wellness, finances, and other topics that will strengthen families. The greatest challenge they face is funding. They have in the past been able to support the women’s seminars two or three times a year by renting space and services for other organizations holding meetings or seminars, but because their space is quite out of date (ie, no computers, wifi, or private rooms are available), and they don’t have the funding required to update the space, they have found themselves unable to hold the seminars for women as they would like to. This program feels like an incredible resource for the future of Tanzania that, like so many other things, can’t be utilized because of lack of funding.

 

The kindergarten classroom was a real treat! The children were so excited to have visitors to their classroom, and had prepared a very special greeting for us in the form of songs, our first music of the day. The classroom looked like a very typical American preschool, with the exception of the Swahili on some of the posters on the walls—legos on the floor, hand-print paint projects on the wall, posters about colors, weather, and numbers—sound familiar? The only thing missing was outdoor playground equipment—they have not been able to secure funding for that.

 

On to the English Medium Primary Day and Boarding School sponsored by the ELCT! Again the students were really looking forward to visitors, and called out “welcome, visitors” and stood up as we entered the classroom. Once again, we were offered a song—Twinkle Twinkle Little Star—and we felt that our own performance of “Jesus Loves the Little Children” was our best yet! Students at the school come from many different villages, and many of the families live in poverty. Again, as with all the private schools, many children require sponsors to stay in school. Education is seen as such an important priority that parents support their children’s education at almost any cost, but with an unemployment rate that is staggering (about 20% of Tanzanians have regular full-time employment) it is no wonder that private education even at a cost of a little over $800 a year is seen as out of reach for many.

 

Our final stop of the day was several different college programs that share the same campus: a Bible College, Ruhija School of Music, and the Bukoba Lutheran Teachers College. It was interesting to learn that students qualify for either a diploma, allowing them to teach secondary school, or a certificate, allowing them to teach primary school. It is quite rare for a student who has the educational background for the diploma program to opt to teach primary school, because the need in secondary schools is so great. The Bible School prepares students to be Evangelists, trained assistants to pastors who can teach, minister, and preach but not provide sacraments. Evangelists are necessary because most pastors in Tanzania serve multiple congregations—some as many as 9 or 10—and they can’t possibly be at every congregation every week. It made us feel lucky to have both Jay and Ingrid with us at Holy Trinity!

 

By far, the highlight of our day was the Ruhija School of Music. The hills were not only alive, but shaking as we were entertained by drums, singing, and traditional Tanzanian dancing by the student and teachers, which we later learned were from several different tribal traditions. They even got some of us to dance! We felt very moved, filled, and renewed by our time with them. We were served a traditional meal of Bukoban bananas and beans, during which we were presented with hand-made shakers instruments to take home. What an incredible afternoon!

 

At the end of this, our second full day in Bukoba, we are very aware of the time, energy, and thought our hosts put into our visits. They have all gone out of their way to welcome us, providing special food and drink, entertainment, prayer, and an invitation to come again, soon! It seems like, as much as our experiences, resources, language, and culture many differ, there is a far stronger bond of faith and common humanity that unites us.

Bukoba Lutheran Secondary School

The last stop of the day on Wednesday was a secondary school run by the diocese. Primary school goes through grade 8, then secondary school begins and consists of Forms 1-4. After the four years of secondary school, students are prepared for two years of high school and perhaps college. 

Our very gracious host, headmaster Fidelis Kabigiza, gave us a tour, spoke with us about the school, and introduced us to teachers and students. On the way out, we started taking pictures with students and then were treated to some singing. 

We thought our visit was over, but then Fidelis showed us to an outdoor set of tables and invited us to tea and treats (our second of the day). 

We arrived back at the hotel after 7:00 quite tired out from the long day. 

JoKUCo

The Josiah Kibira University College was named for the first African bishop of the Northwest Diocese of the ELCT. Many of you know the bishop's son, also named Josiah, who is a Holy Trinity member along with his wife, LuAnn, and three children. 

The original goal of the college was to fill a need for higher level science education. The diocese acquired land just outside of Bukoba, partly donated by a Lutheran congregation there, and built a brand new college campus. In 2012, 380 students enrolled to comprise the first class. Now they have another class of similar size, and the first graduation will take place next year, after the original students have completed their three year degree programs. 

Currently they only offer education degrees but hope to offer programs in science, business administration, and law very soon. 

The provost and one of our hosts is Rev. Wilson Niwagila. He spent a sabbatical in the Twin Cities several years ago and visited Holy Trinity. We frequently sing his hymn, "Come, Holy Spirit, Come" found in the ELW. He and several other staff and faculty shared tea (and treats) with us and shared more about the college during a tour. 

Rev. Niwagila writes in the prospectus, "We can all testify to the wonderful deeds of the Almighty God who guided JoKUCo  to exist and continue to grow. JoKUCo is still very young as compared to other constituent colleges of TUMA, but it is an institution of great hope."

We all agree that JoKUCo is an impressive school with an important mission...and a great name!

Namalira Mother House

Sister Rachel Laban welcomed us to the house where she lives and works as a Lutheran Deaconness. Women are trained here before receiving further training in a particular area of service (e. g. social work, teaching, etc.). Below is a picture of two sisters making communion wafers to sell to churches. If you want a closer view of the wafers, come to Holy Trinity in a few weeks. They might show up in our worship. 

Happy Birthday, Linda!

We celebrated Linda's birthday today. Here she is with our guides, Grace and Judith, just after we sang to her.