Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

We heartily welcome you to Emmaberg Vocational Training Centre. I want to use this opportunity to introduce Emmaberg briefly to you.

Emmaberg is one of the very first mission station in our Diocese which was visited by first missionaries from Berlin Mission Germany. The first missionary named CHRISTOPH BUNK and others visited Emmaberg in 1898.

The original (local) name of Emmaberg is Uhanyana . But the Germans called it Emmaberg (which means Hill of Emma) for memory of Emma. Emma was a Germany lady who gave her own money for the purpose of erecting the first buildings at Uhanyana. Both names: Uhanyana and Emmaberg are currently used to mean the some place. If we say Uhanyana we mean Emmaberg and vice versa. But for our Vocational Training Centre we normally use the name EMMABERG, in so doing we want to mark, emphasise and maintain the mission history than the original name (Uhanyana)

The first house of the missionaries which was built by using Emma’s money had three floors. The missionaries preached the Gospel and started a Bush Primary School at Emmaberg. People were taught how to read, write and do simple mathematics. Africans were converted to Christ and were baptised. Later a Church building was erected for services. During the first World War, Germany missionaries fled this country to Germany. After the war, they did not return to Emmaberg again. They stayed at Kidugala, Ilembula etc. The missionaries prepared African evangelists and pastors who worked at Emmaberg after their departure.

When Rev. Jonathan Kyambile was pastor in-charge of Emmaberg in 1948, the station was changed from Emmaberg to Mavande (the present station of Mavande parish). The young parishioners who were at Emmaberg were very disappointed with this change. –The major reason for the change was that: the parishioners could not manage to give enough offerings in order to meet the young parish needs. Their financial income was very low. Thus, Emmabeg could not survives.

Later buildings were destroyed. Some of its building materials like bricks and tiles were taken and used in building other mission houses, in Kidugala and Ilembula. Some bricks were used to build a classroom at Mavande Primary School. Today it is the teachers’ Office . Some bricks were used to build a church at Kiumba. Emmaberg because a wild place where forests grew. It was silent for about 42 years (1948 – 1989)

The first thoughts about rebuilding Emmaberg were initiated in 1978 when Rev. Aaron Mgovano was District pastor of Ubena Makambako in 1978. They also visited Emmaberg even though it was a wild place. The three visitors and the district Office staff exchanged ideas on how to rebuild Emmaberg . From there, several meetings took place. Eventually the district meeting which took place at Palangavanu in 1989 authorised to rebuild Emmaberg. The major purposes of rebuilding it were;

 

• To maintain church history
• To establish a permanent education and training Centre.

The work of cutting down the forest and making bricks at Emmaberg started in 1990. Youth from our all parishes with a group of 12 youth from Munich East District, made bricks and burnt them. Youth from both Districts Ubena Makambako and Munich East fully participated in the first action of rebuilding Emmaberg.

In 1991 the first two dormitories (one for male students and the other for female students) were built. In the following years other buildings were erected. At present we have the following buildings.

 

• 2 dormitories of 2 rooms each = 4 rooms each room has 12 beds 48 beds.
• 4 class rooms
• 1 meeting hall
• 1 rest (guest) house with 5 rooms which have 2 beds each =10 beds. This house is called ERAS HOUSE since Rev. Friedrich Eras and his group were the first Germany from (Munich) partnership friends to stay in the rest house.
• 1 house for part-time teachers with 7 rooms with one bed each = 7 Beds. is called FISCHER HOUSE because Rev.Waldemar Fischer was the first Germany part-time teacher to live in it.
• One church building
• One dinning hall with kitchen and store.

The class- rooms and the meeting hall are erected on the same foundation and floor where the first house of the missionaries built. The church and its tower are also built on the same floor where the first missionaries built the first church. In so doing, we have tried our best to maintain the memory of the first missionaries holy feet and blessed floors and grounds.

4. EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Ubena district (at that time) started training youths (girls and boys) for one month since 1970. They were trained in Biblical subjects and Music in order to upgrade or prepare parish workers who were preaching and teaching without any training. But also it was aimed to enable lay Christians to know their Bible and Music and thus they could volunteer teaching Bible studies and Music in their parishes. They were called Bible and Music Camp. They served as minor Bible and Music Schools. They were mobile camps because we had no permanent place. The most normal places where these camps were held were Lupembe, Kidugala, Mavande and in other parishes. Some of theological studies. Now we have many trained musicians, evangelists and pastors who got their first training in the district camps. Some of the pastors who passed through these camps are holders of Bachelor of Divinity or Masters Degrees in Theology. The need came to have a permanent training centre. Emmaberg was appointed as the most appropriate place.

In 1992 the first Bible and Music boarding camp students were admitted at Emmaberg. They took studies for one year instead of one month as it was in mobile camps. Each year we had 25 – 35 students. From 1992 – 2002 we have train 320 students. They are now working as evangelists and musicians in different parishes in our two district (Makambako and Ilenbula). But also they are in other districts in our Districts , our Diocese and in other Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Tanzania (ELCT).

According to the present needs of our parishioners and society in general, we have changed the kind of training at Emmaberg. We have new syllabuses. In stead of serving as a minor Bible and Music School, it is now a VOCATIONAL TRAINING CENTRE. We teach Music and technical studies. From January this year, we have admitted 47 students (30 girls and 17 boys) We have divided the studies in three main departments;

• Music and masonry (or Carpentry or tailoring)
• Tailoring and other domestic sciences
• Masonry and carpentry

Each student chooses one of these departments. The studies take two years. We teach them according to the government syllabuses. After two years they will do the national exam and be awarded a general certificate according to their pass mark.

There are also compulsory subjects which all students must study. Bible knowledge, First Aid, English, Kiswahili and Mathematics.

We also accept all students regardless of their religious beliefs. We have Christians from different denominations and Muslims etc. We have admitted more students this year than it has ever been in the previous year. Next year, 2004 we hope to admit 60 students for the first year only. Therefore, we will have 107 students.

We have many needs since Emmaberg is a new Institution. But the following are the most import at present:

1. Dormitory for female students: Female students prefer studying at Emmaberg than male students (refer to the first intake:30 girls to 17 boys). The present minimum capacity to admit students is 48 only. This means that we have only one space left this year. Therefore , in order to receive 60 students next year we need to build a dormitory which can accommodate 60 female students. The present two dormitories will be used by male students.

   We have already started building it. Its foundation is almost finished. The building will cost Tsh. 20,000,000/- Its furniture will cost Tsh. 15,000,000/- which are missing. We need this dormitory to be ready before January, 2004.

    

2. Our own water Intake

We have been facing a very high water bill from the water Government Authority. We were demanded to pay Tsh. 100,000: per month from the minimum pay at Tsh 5000/=.per month which we had been paying previously. Thus, we decided to survey and build our own water intake. It has been a thread to our institution. Thus, in May/June we built our private water intake for Emmaberg. It has coasted us Tsh. 3,00,000/=. The water is on use since, June. But we have no tank. A tank is very needed. A strong and moderate water is estimated to cost Tsh. 2,000,000/- Water will help us for gardening, keeping animals, fish and domestic use.

We welcome any assistance from any person because the Tsh. 3,000,000/- which have been used to build the intake and buy pipes etc. was aimed for the running budget of this year, 2003. Other money has been borrowed from other projects. We have no money for the running budget to end this year.

We are pregnant with plans to make Emmaberg a viable Vocational Training Centre. The following are the plans for the future of Emmaberg V. T. C.

1. To have a Girls’ Technical Secondary School
2. To strengthen music and technical studies
3. To conduct different seminars .

• Campaign against AIDS
• Survival of orphans and widows
• Survival of children and mothers
• Organic farming and natural reservation
• Short seminars for youth leaders, women leaders, evangelists and pastors etc.

Wish best regards,

Rev. Lameck Masawa