Forward in Faith | Spring 2024
The village of Karansi, Tanzania, sits in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro. Twenty years ago, Karansi was a remote, desolate village that did not appear on a map. Ravaged by HIV, extreme poverty, hunger, grief, and despair, many knew this village filled with widows and orphans as “The Lost Village.”
But a young, faith-filled pastor had a dream for his village. Pastor Wariaeli Maphie longed for homes and protection for widows, education for the children who were considered the “poorest of the poor,” and businesses that would help lift the village out of systemic poverty. These prayers would have seemed impossible, if not for God.
A group of people at Perimeter Church heard of the plight of this tiny village and followed the Lord’s leading to get involved. Years later, this effort formalized into a nonprofit called UboraTZ (Ubora is Swahili for “excellence”) that has deep ties to Perimeter Church.
In the last twenty years, God has done more than we could have imagined through the love and relationships that exist between our two communities. Though worlds apart, we are united in our faith in Christ and commitment to kingdom flourishing. Transformation has come, and continues, in Karansi and to the Siha District of Tanzania.
Today in Karansi, many of the widows and orphans are no longer without food, medicine, and a place to sleep. Perimeter members have sponsored the education of hundreds of children through Ubora’s Project Child program, which enables children to attend private Christian school at the Siha Leadership School in Karansi.
Perimeter School and many of its teachers have been instrumental in coming alongside to transform education in Karansi. They have mentored and equipped Tanzanian teachers to teach for understanding, not rote memory, which is standard in Tanzania. The school, which is taught in English, the language of business in Tanzania, is now considered one of the top schools in the nation.
This tiny “lost village” is now raising up doctors, business people, and Christian leaders for the nation of Tanzania. Hope has uprooted despair, and a village once considered lost has not only found its way, but is now leading the way for future generations.
