Tunafanya kazi pamoja: We are working together

Posted on 29. Nov, 2010 by Brenda Meier Kimaro in Africa, Tanzania

Brenda’s daily workspace

Ever since my first trip to Tanzania nearly 10 years ago, I’ve had an interest in learning Swahili. Once I married Kakasii, a native Tanzanian, learning the language became a necessity in order to communicate with my mother-in-law.

I’ve spent a lot of time building up my vocabulary and spent part of my sabbatical in attending an intensive language training program in Tanzania. Slowly, and I do mean slowly, I’m picking up on the language.

Twice this year I visited LWR’s malaria work with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. As I visited Lutheran congregations and health clinics in several regions of the country, I picked up a lot of new Swahili words that get used time and time again when it comes to the subject of malaria:

Homa (fever)
Tapika (vomiting)
Tumbo la kuraha (diarrhea)
Chandalua (bed net)
Dawa (medicine)
Kifo (death)

On a recent visit to the Ngaruma Lutheran Parish in Marangu, I learned a new Swahili phrase that I really like:

Tunafanya kazi pamoja (we are working together).

Pastor Anna Makyao, the pastor at Ngaruma, and the church members demonstrated for us how they are educating about malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

The parish field workers talked about how they go nyumba kwa nyumba (house by house) to tell community members how to prevent malaria. The teacher at the parish’s vocational training center explained to the teenage students how malaria is spread by mbu (mosquitoes) and what the symptoms are. And the kindergarten teachers demonstrated how they teach some of the youngest members of the congregation about what to do if they or a member of their jamaa (family) show the symptoms of malaria.

Pastor Anna was quick to point out that she as the pastor of the congregation is not the only one responsible for teaching about malaria. She shares the responsibilities with many others so that the work can go on even if she should transfer to another congregation.

“Tunafanya kazi pamoja,” said Pastor Anna that day. “We are working together. Let us join our efforts to fight malaria.”

Pastor Anna wasn’t just talking about the joint efforts of her and other leaders in the congregation, though. She was talking about how U.S. Lutherans are also part of the effort through the Lutheran Malaria Initiative (LMI).

“Through the [Lutheran Malaria Initiative], you will help us fight malaria,” she said as her message for us to carry back to Lutherans in the U.S.

How can you join Pastor Anna and the member of Ngaruma Lutheran Parish in the fight again malaria? Take these steps:

Log on to lwr.org/malaria to learn how Lutheran World Relief is working throughout sub-Saharan Africa to reduce deaths caused by malaria.
Visit lutheranmalaria.org to make a donation to the Lutheran Malaria Initiative.
Join LMI’s Facebook fan page for frequent updates.
Tell your friends, family and congregation members that tunafanya kazi pamoja, we are working together, and they can join us, too!

Tags: East Africa