01.02.2024

Fruits of Good Partnership

Dr. Samuel Kiwanga, Head of the Dispensary (2nd from right) and Rev Dr. Karsten Schneider, Superintendent of Unna (left), with delegates of the partnership and UEM coworkers. Photo by: UEM

In January 2024, delegations of EKvW* Unna Church District, of the Medical Dispensary of ELCT/ECD* Mtoni and UEM Co-workers met in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. The Unna delegation was headed by Rev Dr. Karsten Schneider, EKvW Unna District Superintendent. The delegation of the Dispensary was lead by Dr. Samuel Kiwanga, head of the Dispensary. The delegations participated to the installation of Bishop Dr Alex Gehaz Malasusa, Bishop of the Eastern Coastal Diocese of the ELCT, as the ELCT Presiding Bishop. The two delegations had various meetings with different people as well as sharing and reflection with UEM Co-workers in the Africa Region.

The project has a story of committed people who gave their hearts, times and financial donations for the project to start as a small building, which is a large centre today that is widely accepted and frequented in the area.

Reuben Inganji, Project Officer at UEM, says about the project: “The project is one of the ECD health facility out six centers. The dispensary focuses on the Antenatal Care. The Project was begun in 2016 with a group of 12 people from Unna. In 2017 they sent 1.7 tons of very useful medical equipment to the dispensary to support the mothers and children born. In 2019 was the official opening of the Labor ward and in 2021 training of midwives with necessary skills on patient care giving them maternity delivery kits as well.”

Requests at the dispensary have risen to such levels that expansion is needed already. The goal for Mtoni dispensary is to become an official health center. Due to the increasing number of births, the receiving and hosting possibilities are reaching their limits.

This partnership project is in line with UEM support to ELCT/ECD in matters of health, for example regarding HIV-AIDS, people with disabilities, orphans and others. There is always a need for constant review of the areas of work, which is done by UEM personell and coworkers in the churches and projects involved.

For the people involved it is encouraging to experience that some partnership challenges are properly addressed. Unna-Mtoni partnership shares that there is good communication at the moment. There are specifically names of commissioned people on site in Mtoni and ECD, as well as in Unna and EKvW. Value is recognized right up to the management level.

During the consultations in Dar Es Salaam, the stakeholders found that all of them: the Mtoni Dispensary, ELCT/ECD, the Church District of Unna and UEM, are of the opinion that their togetherness has contributed to successfully bringing the project to more planned steps forward.

Rev Dr John Wesley Kabango, UEM Executive Secretary of the Division Africa / Germany, draws this conclusion: “When partnership challenges are properly addressed, it brings successful projects. A big thank you to all stakeholders who make it possible for many people’s illnesses to be treated and sometimes even lives to be saved.”

*EKvW = Evangelische Kirche von Westfalen (Evangelical Church in Westphalia)

*ELCT/ECD = Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania, Eastern Coastal Diocese