Key points :
- With financial support from UMCOR, The United Methodist Church has provided assistance to more than 250 households in the Masai District of Tanzania.
- Devastating floods ravaged Tanzania’s Masai and Morogoro districts between December 2023 and January of this year.
- The Rev. Idda John Ngowi, Masai District superintendent, said the supplies lifted spirits in the affected villages.
Following devastating floods that ravaged the Masai and Morogoro districts of Tanzania, The United Methodist Church stepped in to offer vital aid to hundreds of families.
The floods between December 2023 and January of this year affected some 6,300 people in numerous villages. The communities of Kilosa, Mvumi, Manzese, Ludewa, Msowelo, Ngaiti, Kambala and Dakawa were the hardest hit.
Among those affected, 300 members of The United Methodist Church lost their temporary building to the rising waters. In April, flooding and landslides killed more than 150 people, according to Kassim Majaliwa, prime minister of the Republic of Tanzania.
“The floods have washed away our livestock, our homes and even our temporary church,” said Pastor Paulina Koinasai, a United Methodist pastor in the Masai district. “We are homeless and have nowhere to worship God.”
In response to the crisis, a team from the disaster management office of the North Katanga Episcopal Area, led by the Revs. Idda John Ngowi and Betty Kazadi Musau, visited the affected areas to distribute aid provided through a $50,000 grant from the United Methodist Committee on Relief.
The efforts have brought much-needed relief and hope to struggling communities, providing food and other items to 250 households comprising some 750 to 1,000 people.
“This support has generated great enthusiasm in our district,” said Ngowi, Masai District superintendent. “People are deeply grateful for the help they have received.”
Kazadi, the finance officer for disaster management in North Katanga and a contributor to UM News, reported that the UMCOR funding enabled the purchase of five tons of corn meal, some 750 liters of vegetable oil, beans and other non-livestock items. Other supplies included loincloths, blankets, soap and sugar.
The impact of UMCOR’s intervention was underlined by Christina Kazimoto, village manager, who congratulated the organization on being the first to provide aid to the region.
“I’m very happy and I’d like to thank the UMCOR organization and The United Methodist Church of Tanzania for providing this assistance and support to the Masai people,” Kazimoto said.
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She also expressed the Tanzanian government’s solidarity with The United Methodist Church of Tanzania.
“The support brings great enthusiasm to our communities and our Tanzanian people,” Kazimoto said.
Leah Majuka, a member of the local church in Mkambalani, shared her testimony.
“I thank God for the wonders he has done in my life,” she said. “UMCOR’s help has been a real comfort to all of us in Masai. I now feel happy after receiving this help.”
Emanuel Matita, another resident affected by the floods, emphasized the relief agency’s positive impact on the community.
“UMCOR was the first organization to come to our aid, and their support was distributed to everyone, without discrimination,” he said. “Many Masai have joined The UMC after witnessing their generosity and compassion.”
The impact of the aid has extended beyond material assistance, Ngowi said, noting the renewed optimism among the population.
“The spirit of the community has improved.”
Ally is a communicator for the Tanzania Conference.
UM News contact: Julie Dwyer at (615) 742-5470 or [email protected]. To read more news from The United Methodist Church, subscribe to the free Daily Digest or Weekly Digest.
