Having enough to share

The Tanzania Scholarship Program at Shepherd of the Valley is one of the biggest pieces of our partnership with the Tanzanian parishes at Makifu and Tungamalenga.  Every year, members of our congregation contribute about $45,000 to support 150 students in secondary schools, vocational training centers, and universities.

Across the Saint Paul Area Synod and the Iringa Diocese, the Bega Kwa Bega Scholarship program is also one of the largest pieces of our companionship.  Nearly 70 congregations are involved in providing about 1200 scholarships to students throughout the diocese.

In recent years, the Iringa Diocese has seen enormous growth.  Village congregations are growing, parishes are starting new congregations in neighboring villages.  Saint Paul Area Synod has provided scholarships to theology students at the university, and the number of ordained pastors has grown. Over thirty new parishes have been established in the diocese in recent years.

During that same period of time, Saint Paul Area Synod congregations have not experienced that same kind of growth.  As a result, the new congregations in the Iringa Diocese do not all have US partners. A few US partners have remained partnered with their original congregation and a newly formed congregation, like Shepherd of the Valley is now partnered with both Tungamalenga and Makifu Parishes.

In at least a few instances, students who have received scholarship support are now members of a new congregation that doesn't have a partner who can continue that support.

There are currently 34 Iringa parishes with no US partner.  For the past year, a Bega Kwa Bega working group has been working on a strategy to address the need to provide scholarship opportunities to students in these parishes without partners.

BKB invites individuals and congregations to contribute to the Scholarship Equity Fund, launched last month. These funds will be shared each year with the congregations in the Iringa Diocese who do not have a BKB partner.  The Tanzanian parish committees will then allocate the funds to support students, as do the partnered congregations. Depending on the schools attended by students, funds available may support one, two or more students this first year.

Shepherd of the Valley is doing its part to share scholarship dollars with congregations in the Iringa Diocese.  For several years, we have provided $3000 in scholarship support to the orphans cared for by Huruma Center.  Some of these are for primary school, others are for secondary and vocational training. About four years ago, we stepped in as temporary partner for Usolanga Parish, whose US partner could no longer continue its commitment.  We provide $2400 in scholarship support for students from Usolanga. This year, we added a gift of $2000 directly to the Scholarship Equity Fund.  We hope to increase the size of that gift, if SOTV contributions to our scholarship fund allows.

We've heard of other congregations here in the Saint Paul Area Synod who are tithing to the Equity Fund - some who are sharing from the amount they have previously pledged to their partners, and others who are adding on a tithe above their previous giving.  There are even instances where Tanzanian parishes have decided to share a part of their funds with a new neighboring parish.

Education is a priceless gift that has been a cornerstone of the Bega Kwa Bega partnerships for many years.  How amazing that partners on both sides of the ocean experience the blessing of having enough to share with the village congregations that have not yet benefited from a similar partnership.