12.04.2012

The caravan is back in Africa

On 10th April, 2012, the fourth module of the international MA Course Diaconic Management, offered jointly by the Institute for Diaconic Sience and Diaconic Management (IDM) of the Protestant University Wuppertal/Bethel and UEM in cooperation with Sebastian Kolowa University College (SEKUCo) started in Magamba/ Tanzania.

The twelve students coming from seven different countries arrived in Dar es Salaam one day after Easter. They are starting the module with a week of internships in the diaconic institutions of the North Eastern Dioecse, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT-NED), in the Rainbow School, the Lutindi Mental Hospital, the Bumbuli Hospital, the Irente School for the Blind and in other institutions they are introduced into the more than 100 years old history of diaconia in Usambara and get practical insights into today´s institutions and programmes.

From 16th April, students will follow lectures and seminars at SEKUCo. This module focusses on the strategic and operative dimensions of management, on contextual theology with regard to health and healing, on the history of diaconia in Tanzania and on the role of the church in lobby and advocacy work. Lecturers come from the North Eastern Diocese as well as from the universities of Iringa and Mzumbe. Other experts come from the All African Conference of Churches in Nairobi/Kenya and from NGOs in Dar es Salaam. The course is led by a team from IDM and UEM in cooperation with the Provost of SEKUCO, Dr. Anneth Munga.

After the end of the third module held at Silliman University, Dumaguete/Philippines in January this year, students had returned to their home countries. They had written papers titled “Theology is Contextual“, in which they reflected experiences and insights of the previous modules in Bethel/Germany, Stellenbosch/South Africa and Dumaguete.

On 5th May all students will return home and start preparations for their master theses. The fifth – and last – module of the course is scheduled for September 2012 in Bethel/Germany. The course will end with the graduation in April 2013.

A second course is presently under preparation. It is planned to start in May 2013.