Jesus is THE Perfect Sanitizer
A global pandemic did not stop the beloved tradition of VBS in the Siha District.
Using Vacation Bible School to Help Combat Coronavirus in Tanzania
Atlanta-based UboraTZ creates “Jesus is the Perfect Sanitizer” VBS program to educate and feed children in Siha District
Vacation Bible School (VBS) is a right of passage for many American schoolchildren each summer. The kids gather at church during the week to sing songs of hope and love, make crafts, engage in other fun activities and learn about the love of Jesus.
It wasn’t too long ago that children in the village of Karansi, Tanzania had never heard of VBS before. That all changed in 2018 when a group of volunteers with UboraTZ and Perimeter Church in Atlanta decided to combine our VBS tradition with the vibrant worship of our Tanzanian brothers and sisters – so that the children could experience the Gospel in a very new way.
“VBS has been a huge hit for the children in the village and it’s something we normally work on for at least six months,” explained Dave Burgess, who oversees the Community and Discipleship pillar for Ubora. “There’s a lot involved as it relates to prayer, planning, mobilization of volunteers, purchasing items and then international travel and implementation of VBS in Karansi for the children in that area.”
““It is a co-mingling of the gospel ideas that make it so much better when you go out and touch the community. With VBS, we are equals learning from each other, reaching kids who may not know about Jesus.””
Ubora is an Atlanta-based non-profit dedicated to serving a remote area in Africa near Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania–Karansi and the Siha District—that was once almost devastated by disease, drought and systemic poverty. Ubora comes alongside local churches, government and community leaders and its non-profit partner, SHEFO on the ground in Karansi, to help facilitate holistic community transformation in the area.
“VBS is usually carried out by “family trips,” which include at least one parent and their middle or high-school aged child” – but we also love to have adults and college students join as well,” explained Dave. “Typically we travel to Tanzania with about 20 people from Atlanta, with our suitcases packed full of items for VBS. One year, we brought 300 pounds of different colored sand and 1,000 clear plastic bottles. As the children created sand art, we discussed how God loves them more than the grains of sand on the seashore, and also about how each of them is unique and beautiful – just like the art they created. This way of using art to bring the Gospel alive is new and really impactful.”
Each child attending VBS received a face mask, hand sanitizer and bag of rice.
This year, as the group of volunteers gathered virtually due to COVID-19, they all agreed that canceling VBS and letting down the hundreds of Tanzanian children who normally attend each summer was not an option. The group soon discovered there was another more urgent and pressing need that the VBS could provide: a way to get food into the hands of the children and families in that area. Another pressing need was the fear that was surrounding the pandemic.
Because of the urgent need for food, the planning schedule was compressed and a different type of strategy was implemented to bring VBS to life for the children of Karansi. “It was all hands on deck as we utilized all of the resources we had, including our volunteers here in Atlanta, along with our partners in Karansi, including SHEFO, the teachers of Siha Leadership Pre- and Primary School and the local churches there,” said Dave.
“This year’s VBS programming had to look a lot different because of COVID-19,” said Dave. The group landed on the theme: “Jesus is the Perfect Sanitizer,” to help carry the combined message of Jesus + COVID and to help the children overcome fear of the disease by relying on the hope of Christ.
“Jesus is the Perfect Sanitizer” VBS in Tanzania was carried out over the two weeks of May 25 and June 1, 2020.
Each child also received a gospel bracelet and learned the meaning behind the colors for each bead.
This year’s VBS featured:
A half-day program held at various churches in the area, which provided the opportunity to reach more children in smaller groups versus the traditional one-week large session program
Education around the importance of proper handwashing and social distancing
Each child received a VBS gift bag that included a face mask, sanitizer, soap and a bag of rice for their family
Each child received a gospel bracelet with colored beads representing:
Black – Our heart covered with sin
Red – Jesus’ blood that washes us clean
White – Our heart clean, sins have been erased and we are presented as faultless to God
Green – Let us continue to grow and walk with Jesus
Yellow – Remember to always walk in the light
“Pastor Wariaeli has long been the visionary faith and community leader in the area,” said Dave. “Earlier this year, Pastor Wariaeli and local health officials arranged for a meeting of faith leaders to inform about COVID-19 and to help bring the community together; these new relationships with the faith leaders were important when the decision was made to bring VBS to the various churches versus hosting it at our school. As a result, we had ten local churches participate in VBS.”
To make the magic of VBS happen, the team in Atlanta worked with the team in Karansi which included: representatives from Siha Leadership School, including the former headmaster, Godfrey, teachers PC and Jane, and our social worker, Witness, along with children from the school and our team from SHEFO, including Baraka and Joseph and the community health leaders Mr. Peter Msaka and Dr. Aman Kisanga.
“The response was tremendous as we had 531 children attend this year’s VBS,” said Dave. “ We had participation from two churches in Karansi and eight outside of the village in the district.”
““There is a cultural thing (in Tanzania) that perhaps the adults don’t play with the kids as much. VBS shows us new ways for the kids to experience the gospel that culturally we don’t do.” ”
“Our Atlanta team grieved the fact that we couldn’t be there as we had been the past two years,” said Dave. “However, we were also super excited for the team there in Karansi and their chance to really take ownership of VBS. And they did it so well! They came up with the theme, put together all of the deliverables very quickly and then delivered VBS to the children with lots of joy and enthusiasm.”
The work of Ubora is carried out through the Project Child sponsorship program and Ubora’s four pillars of excellence created to educate children, provide healthcare and humanitarian aid and help build economic sustainability for the future.
To learn more about Ubora, visit: www.uboratz.org.
Joy was in the air as children learned how to protect themselves from the virus and about the love of Jesus.
Ubora’s Covid Response
Ubora leverages resources to support friends in Tanzania as global pandemic emerges.
Ubora’s Health PIllar at Work…Here’s a summary of our response to the global pandemic in Tanzania.
Originally published in March, 2020
While no one anticipated a global pandemic to hit in 2020, the groundwork established by Ubora’s medical pillar has helped us respond, educate and prepare the village of Karansi and the greater Siha District for this crisis. Here is a brief summary of what has been done so far…
“The Coronavirus hit Tanzania in mid-March and we immediately mobilized new strategies to keep children, families and the widows in the Siha District informed about the virus and as safe as possible,” said Jerry Thames, President of Ubora.
According to the 2012 Tanzania National Census, the population of Siha District was 116,313. The western part of Mount Kilimanjaro is located within the district’s boundaries.
Still deeply impacted by systemic poverty and lack of basic healthcare resources, COVID-19 presents a very real threat for Tanzania and many areas of Africa.
Ubora has developed a comprehensive model of holistic community transformation built around four “pillars” or areas of focus. These include: education, medical, family/discipleship and commerce.
“Ubora was able to mobilize quickly because of programs in place through the healthcare pillar and the relationships we have on the ground in Karansi,” said Jerry. “Specifically, we helped facilitate the training of 24 community health workers in 2019 to serve as first-line health responders in their respective villages; we were able to use these trained and qualified workers to help us proactively communicate with villagers about the Coronavirus situation.”
Community Health Worker training in Karansi in 2019.
The Health Worker Training classes were led by faculty from Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, using the Global Health Initiative Training Program. The training was conducted in Sanya Juu in partnership with Dr. Andrew Method, District Medical Officer for the Siha District of the Tanzania-Ministry of Health & Social Welfare.
In response to the global pandemic and its potential impact on the Siha District of Tanzania, Ubora’s leadership teams in both Atlanta and Karansi have mobilized with a coordinated effort. Here’s what’s being done:
Current Situation: Like much of the world, Tanzanian schools were ordered closed, including Siha Leadership Academy (SLA), a private English Medium school with whom Ubora has partnered for almost two decades . The children attending SLA receive two healthy meals a day. Without this daily nutrition for students, there is concern that children might go hungry.
Response: A feeding program was implemented to ensure students and families receive proper nutrition during this time with delivery of beans and maize made to families.
Current Situation: With school suspended for the foreseeable future, it’s important to keep students engaged and on task with their studies.
Response: The headmaster and teachers at SLA have put remote learning programs in place, a first for the school to ensure students stay on track. Teachers have visited children in their homes and are looking forward to resuming classes once the restrictions are lifted.
Current Situation: A need to identify SLA families and local villagers most at risk.
Response: Local staff in Karansi and representatives from the village committee visited approximately 230 widows and families in the area to identify those most at risk for food or other needs. With these people identified, food and other resources, including soap, were provided to ensure that no one goes hungry and other needs are met.
Current Situation: With limited media or ways to disseminate information, it’s challenging to provide reliable, fact-based communications to people in Karansi and the Siha District as it relates to COVID-19.
Response: Community healthcare workers have been out in Karansi and throughout the Siha District educating villagers on the importance of handwashing and social distancing. The teams on the ground used tools that Ubora had on hand, including a bullhorn and flat screen monitor, and made a makeshift mobile video unit. Traveling to the local villages and markets, the healthcare workers used the bullhorn to engage villagers, then played videos, one from the President of Tanzania, about the seriousness of the disease and another about how villagers could protect themselves. The healthcare workers also provided additional training and answered questions.
“Working with Dr. Method, the Siha District Medical Officer, we will be expanding this training program to include 120 community healthcare workers, two for each village in the district,” explained Jerry. “We are working through details with Morehouse School of Medicine and are excited to roll out virtual trainings for community healthcare workers. The healthcare worker initiative has already proven so valuable for our brothers and sisters in the Siha District.”
“The work we are doing in Karansi, Tanzania is more important than ever, as we continue to help fill the gaps and support the people of the village during this time of global pandemic,” said Jerry.
Our non-profit entity in Karansi, SHEFO, along with Pastor Wariaeli, organized a first ever gathering of religious leaders from all denominations to share information on COVID-19. The response was tremendous as over 80 religious leaders gathered in unity to learn and support each other through this Corona crisis.
Click here to download press release
Click here to support Corona Relief in Tanzania