Building faith & knowledge, Tanzania

Supplying Swahili and English Books to Kondoa Bible College

In the heart of Tanzania, the Kondoa Bible College is helping shape the next generation of church leaders — men and women eager to serve their communities but often facing a simple, practical challenge: access to the right books. 

Many students at Kondoa come from rural areas where primary education is taught in Swahili, and English is only introduced at secondary level. As a result, most are still developing their English reading skills. This has created a great need for theological books written in Swahili, which are often difficult to find or too costly for students to buy themselves.

Through the Rochester Diocesan link, we have arranged for funds to be transferred directly to the college principal, Revd Moses Kasichi, enabling him to purchase Swahili Christian texts from a local Christian bookshop. This approach ensures that the books chosen are precisely suited to the needs of the students and the courses being taught.

At the same time, the Trust continues to focus on resourcing the college’s teachers — those who are fluent in English and qualified to teach but who often lack personal study materials. Communication with these lecturers via WhatsApp has proved far more effective than email, allowing direct collaboration and the sharing of ideas.

Teachers have requested books to support a wide range of subjects, including the Old and New Testaments, Pastoral Ministry, Doctrine, Church History, Preaching, and Ethics. The books provided serve as personal resources, helping them prepare lessons and mentor students. In addition, work is underway to build a staff library, ensuring that resources can be shared and remain at the college even if teachers move on. Some of these books come from our pre-loved collection, donated by retiring ministers in the UK.

Providing books overseas is rarely a one-size-fits-all endeavour. Independent rural congregations in Tanzania often change and reconfigure quickly, while the Anglican dioceses, such as the one supported by Kondoa Bible College, offer a more stable structure with consistent training. The college plays a vital role in strengthening the local diocese by allowing students to continue ministering in their home parishes while they study.

For those pursuing higher diploma or degree-level training, further study usually means travelling elsewhere — a major commitment that can mean being separated from family for a season.

Step by step, through books, connection, and shared purpose, the work in Kondoa is helping build a stronger foundation for Christian leadership across Tanzania.

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