Tanzania Returns School to Adventist Church
By Tysan Jacob and Abel Kinyongo, 1 August 2019 | On July 20, 2019, hundreds of church members and supporters gathered together to celebrate the return of the Ndembela Adventist Secondary School to the ownership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and raised over $6,600 USD (15,177,600 shillings) to renovate the structure.
“The school was previously owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church,” Pastor Kenan Mwasomola explained, tracing the school’s history, “and the government took it, but [lack of] development came to an extent where the school couldn’t keep going. Thus, the president announced the return of the school to the church.”
Speaking before those congregated on Ndembela’s football field, Mwasomola dictated that the raised funds will be used solely for renovations. He then thanked President John Magufuli for his wise decision of returning the school to church ownership.
Although over $6,600 USD was raised for renovations, they still fell short of their $130,500 goal. Pastor Godffrey Richard Kaniki, executive secretary of the Southern Highlands Conference, called for continued donations.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church owns a number of Tanzanian schools which are respected for their moral and academic integrity, thereby inspiring many other schools in the region to follow Adventist academic models.
Tysan is a correspondent for Adventist Today based in Tanzania. Abel Kinyongo works for Hope Channel Tanzania, the Adventist broadcasting ministry in the country.
