OUR TANZANIA RELATIONSHIPS.
In 2004, a group from Westwood visited Arusha Road Lutheran Church in Dodoma, Tanzania, and a new partnership was formed—and grew in remarkable ways.
In the years since, members from Westwood have travel to Dodoma 6 more times and Arusha Road representatives have come to visit us 4 times. These exchanges have been invaluable in helping us grow in mutual understanding and in our ability to support God's work in our communities.
Yearly, Westwood sends also 100,000 meals from the Outreach Inc. food packing event and provides support for the education expenses of the orphans that Arusha Road Lutheran Church supports. Watch for the opportunity to help with this ministry in the December Cause of the Month.
An overview of our relationship.
Food Packing Event
Every spring, Westwood hosts a food packaging event. Hundreds of volunteers from the congregation and surrounding communities join us to pack meals in efforts to support children who have lost a parent or guardian to AIDS in Dodoma, Tanzania. Our sister congregation, Arusha Road Lutheran Church in Dodoma, distributes these meals to its surrounding community. Our goal is to send at least 100,000 meals annually to Arusha Road.
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100,000 meals sustains 275 recipients for one year.
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There's a lot that goes into making this annual event happen and we can't do this without lots of volunteers to pack the food, setting up food stations, and tearing down everything afterward. The cost to put on an event like this and to purchase the food through The Outreach Food Packing Progam is $30,000 - we hope you will consider a donation to this impactful event!
Arusha Road Church, Dodoma, Tanzania
Over the years, we have partnered with Arusha Road Church to help grow their mission in an area with a high poverty rate. With our support, Arusha Road has been able to expand their ministry with orphans in their community, many from the AIDS epidemic, from the original 60 to 150. Our food packing effort goes directly to this area, and we have been on hand to unpack the food on the other end. Financial support also helps cover educational expenses for 40 orphans.
Watch for the opportunity to help with this ministry in the December Cause of the Month.
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Years Westwood traveled to Arusha Road: 2004, 2007, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2023
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Years Arusha Road traveled to Westwood: 2006, 2010, 2012, 2019
Our partnership with Arusha Road through the years
Dodoma Christian Medical Center
DCMC Facility
A child receiving oral care
Dodoma Christian Medical Center is a thriving medical center providing a high standard of service by well-trained Tanzanian medical and dental staff in a safe, clean environment. They have treated 100,000 patients each year, for the past 2 years and continue. DCMC is a 50-bed hospital providing quality diagnoses and treatment for both in and outpatients, including a digital x-ray and pharmacy. Their purpose "is to ensure high-quality, compassionate, Tanzanian-led health care for the people of Central Tanzania by developing the capacity and sustainability of Dodoma Christian Medical Center. We treat all patients who come to the medical center, regardless of their ability to pay."
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The Dental Clinic is a model for modern dentistry and training in Tanzania. This clinic's outreach also teaches oral health to school children. The Reproductive and Child Health Clinic is committed to reducing mother and child mortality through pre/postnatal care and freewill childcare. Their Community Health Outreach focuses on disease prevention through education and screening in rural villages throughout the region.
The dream of DCMC is to become a sustainable model by combining thriving partnerships, social enterprise and philanthropy in order to provide a consistent level of high-quality care that is rarely seen in Africa. The Tanzania Ministry of Health has recognized DCMC as the best medical facility in the region with a 3-Star Rating, and the center is not only a referral hospital but a model for sustainable healthcare in Africa.
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For here more information on Dodoma Christian Medical Center.
Dr. Charles with Ntyuka students
Operation Bootstrap Africa
Operation Bootstrap is rooted in a “bootstrap” philosophy of helping people help themselves. Truly no person can pick themselves up by their own bootstraps—it's a physical impossibility.
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In 2005 Westwood expanded its connection to Arusha Road Lutheran Church and the Dodoma, Tanzania community by partnering with Operation Bootstrap to support primary schools in the area. Through Operation Bootstrap and their connection with the Community Development Tanzania Fund, Westwood has supported the construction and furnishings of 5 school buildings Knedge, Mlimwa A, and Mlimwa B Primary Schools in Dodoma. These buildings are at schools that provide education for many of the orphans supported by Arusha Road Lutheran Church.
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For more information on Operation Bootstrap visit their website at http://bootstrapafrica.org/