Development
The Story of Development Work in the Diocese of Masasi
Since the time of its founding in 1926, the Diocese of Masasi has seen a large part of its role as working to relieve people’s suffering and looking after the vulnerable.
In recognising poverty as a problem that needs attention, even after the missionary era, the church’s focus area in community development has been spiritual well-being, health, education, social, family life, community empowerment and livelihood.
The diocese has taken various social and economic actions to improve the well-being of the community around its vicinity. From 1980s, the diocese has been more actively involved in development work for rural communities, which do not discriminate upon race, gender, political and age.
The development work of the Diocese can be divided into four categories:
Health;
Education;
Nutrition; and
Partnerships.
Health
From the beginning, the missionaries were active in meeting the health needs of the community. Dispensaries were built in Chidya, Luatala and Rondo and hospitals were built and run by the Church in Lulindi and Mkomaindo.
A school of nursing and midwifery, and a medical college, were also established at Mkomaindo.
The objective was, and remains, the provision of the best possible spiritual and health care, at the forefront of nursing and medical knowledge.
The hospitals and medical colleges at Lulindi and Mkomaindo were nationalised in 1971 as part of a wave of nationalisations of education and health institutions. However, Chidya, Luatala and Rondo dispensaries remained in the hands of the Diocese.
From the 1970s, the diocese has used its existing network of dispensaries to reach out to the community to consult and ask about their health needs.
Listening, staying connected, pursuing new ways to communicate and interact with patients/communities through these dispensaries, remains central to how the diocese conducts its health work.
Education
Before the nationalisations in 1971, the Diocese was responsible for a number of educational organisations:
Primary schools at Mtandi and Mkomaindo;
Boys’ secondary school at Chidya (the dispensary that was developed there to serve the school remains in the hands of the Diocese and continues to serve the community);
Girls’ secondary school at Ndwika; and
Teacher’ training colleges at Ndwika, Tunduru and Nachingwea.
Since then, the Diocese has only run religious educational establishments in St Cyprian’s Theological College (fallen into disuse but now being revived) and Rondo Junior Secondary (currently being reinvigorated as a secondary school). St Catherine’s, the new girls’ school that is being developed at Namasakata, is the Diocese first significant re-engagement into the education of community members for a long time.
Nutrition
Wherever the missionaries established a physical presence, be it in the form of a college, church or health facility, they sought to improve environmental management to the communities.
This will have involved land and forest husbandry, water conservation and sustainable agricultural methods.
Partnerships
The early development work in the Diocese laid a foundation of excellence. This has led to partnerships with a number of national and international organisations to implement community-based development activities.
These have built on the work that the Diocese has performed independently and have involved the following:
health services (establishment of medical facilities);
outreach/primary health care services;
agriculture and livestock husbandry;
beekeeping and fish farming;
nutrition and food security;
tree planting; and
water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).
The majority of these programs are remarkably successful and have enhanced the Diocese’s contribution to community development and helped to foster Christian development.
