18 August 2023
In a visit to Mara Region in Western Tanzania, Bishop Anthony Poggo, the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, visiteda number of educational projects and institutions that are working with girls from disadvantaged backgrounds in one of the poorest regions of Tanzania.
He visited the Diocese of Mara’s Girls Brigade Training Centre in Bunda, Bunda Girls Secondary School and the Diocese of Rorya Mothers’ Union Girls’ Sewing project. Hewas shown how girls are trained and educated to equip and empower themselves for income generation and career advancement in the context of faith and prayer.
He learned about the role of overseas partners in establishing these projects, including Anglican Aid from Australia and the Diocese of Leeds in the Church of England. Bishop Poggopraised these friends, along with the local church leaders, Bishop George Okoth of Mara and Bishop Musa Yamo of Rorya, in establishing these projects. He said: “It is really encouraging to see two Anglican dioceses taking a lead in their region in raising the capabilities and confidence of women in a region where they face huge challenges from poverty and disadvantage.I believe these diocesesprovide wonderful examples for others to follow, not just in Tanzania but around the world.”
These visits were part of Bishop Anthony’s wider visit to Tanzania that included Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Zanzibar and Tanga, hosted by Archbishop Maimbo Mndolwa of Tanzania. While in Mara, accompanied by theRevd Canon Stephen Spencer, the Anglican Communion’s Adviser in Theological Education, he also spent an afternoon at Bunda Bible College, a leading theological college with 82 male and female students from 14 dioceses across Tanzania and further afield.
In a wide ranging and lively roundtable discussion, many of the current issues and divisions facing the Anglican Communion were discussed with honesty, openness and good humour. Bishop Anthony emphasised the need for those who disagreed with what is happening in some provinces around the blessing of same-sex marriage to stay in the conversation within the Anglican Communion, to listen to others and let their voices be heard. “When we contribute to the discussion within the Anglican Communion and play our part then our point of view can be heard and respected. No province has the right to tell other provinces what they should think and do: a key principle ofthe Anglican Communion is that all provinces are autonomous, though they are also interdependent. Let the Anglican Church of Tanzania, like other provinces, shape the future of our beloved Anglican Communion,” he said.
Canon Spencer commented that “the visit to Bunda Bible College showed how high-quality full time residential training for ministry is taking place in this region of the Anglican Communion. While there are significant challenges around access to resources, including online theological resources, the benefits of ordinands living and praying together are clear to see.” He continued: “With support from friends in Sydney, Leeds and elsewhere, the challenges can gradually be overcome. The wider church has much to learn from places like Bunda Bible College in Mara, Tanzania.”