(Water to Thrive President, Dick Moeller, is currently traveling in Tanzania to explore new partnerships there. These blogs are his reports back on the trip…)
I arrived on time in Dar es Salaam about 9:30 am. The driver that was supposed to meet me at the airport was delayed significantly by traffic so I connected with Ezekiel Kiagho (the Country Director for Lutheran World Relief). Ezekiel picked me up at the airport and we headed to the LWR office in Dar es Salaam where I met the other in-country staff member, Castor Kalemera, who is the organization’s Livelihood Program Manager for Tanzania.
The three of us spent some time reviewing the LWR activites in Tanzania, which focus on two programs and geographical areas. The livelihood programs operate mostly around the Dodoma area. In this part of the country, LWR works with 9 partners to assist the area’s famers with their value chain improvement for the oil seed, rice and grape crops. LWR’s other programmatic focus – health programs (primarily the Lutheran Malaria Initiative) – are managed out of Arusha. These are implemented in partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania (ELCT) in the 13 dioceses most affected by malaria. These programs focus on both the distribution of bed nets as well as community engagement and education for the prevention and treatment of malaria.
In the afternoon, we began our drive to Iringa, which is west and slightly south of Dar es Salaam. Exiting Dar is a challenge most anytime, but afternoons are especially difficult. The roads are clogged with people, buses, trucks, motos, bicycles, and basically anything that moves. The road from Dar es Salaam to Iringa is good, but with the traffic it took us over 8 hours to compelte the journey and we arrived in Iringa around 11:00 pm.
We spent the night at the Iringa Lutheran Center, a facility that has been used by the local ELCT diocese in its partnership with the St. Paul Synod (Minnesota) of the ELCA in the US. The Center has 13 rooms and can sleep about 25 people. A very active partnership has been developed between these two sister synods over the last 10 years. This partnership not only involves water projects, but also ministry, healthcare, establishment of a university, agricultural improvements, and much more. During the past decade, this partnership has brought over 4,000 volunteers to Iringa from the United States St. Paul Synod to volunteer in many differrent programs and capacities.
It’s great to see such strong connections being made. I’m looking forward to my time in Iringa to learn more about this area of the country, its water situation, and how Water to Thrive can get involved to begin bringing clean water to these people who so desperately need it here in Tanzania.
More to come later,
Dick Moeller
President of Water to Thrive
(Water to Thrive President, Dick Moeller, is currently traveling in Tanzania to explore new partnerships there. These blogs are his reports back on the trip…)
I arrived on time in Dar es Salaam about 9:30 am. The driver that was supposed to meet me at the airport was delayed significantly by traffic so I connected with Ezekiel Kiagho (the Country Director for Lutheran World Relief). Ezekiel picked me up at the airport and we headed to the LWR office in Dar es Salaam where I met the other in-country staff member, Castor Kalemera, who is the organization’s Livelihood Program Manager for Tanzania.
The three of us spent some time reviewing the LWR activites in Tanzania, which focus on two programs and geographical areas. The livelihood programs operate mostly around the Dodoma area. In this part of the country, LWR works with 9 partners to assist the area’s famers with their value chain improvement for the oil seed, rice and grape crops. LWR’s other programmatic focus – health programs (primarily the Lutheran Malaria Initiative) – are managed out of Arusha. These are implemented in partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania (ELCT) in the 13 dioceses most affected by malaria. These programs focus on both the distribution of bed nets as well as community engagement and education for the prevention and treatment of malaria.
In the afternoon, we began our drive to Iringa, which is west and slightly south of Dar es Salaam. Exiting Dar is a challenge most anytime, but afternoons are especially difficult. The roads are clogged with people, buses, trucks, motos, bicycles, and basically anything that moves. The road from Dar es Salaam to Iringa is good, but with the traffic it took us over 8 hours to compelte the journey and we arrived in Iringa around 11:00 pm.
We spent the night at the Iringa Lutheran Center, a facility that has been used by the local ELCT diocese in its partnership with the St. Paul Synod (Minnesota) of the ELCA in the US. The Center has 13 rooms and can sleep about 25 people. A very active partnership has been developed between these two sister synods over the last 10 years. This partnership not only involves water projects, but also ministry, healthcare, establishment of a university, agricultural improvements, and much more. During the past decade, this partnership has brought over 4,000 volunteers to Iringa from the United States St. Paul Synod to volunteer in many differrent programs and capacities.
It’s great to see such strong connections being made. I’m looking forward to my time in Iringa to learn more about this area of the country, its water situation, and how Water to Thrive can get involved to begin bringing clean water to these people who so desperately need it here in Tanzania.
More to come later,
Dick Moeller
President of Water to Thrive
About The Author: Mary Clare
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