Bishop Nigel leads visit to Kagera

 

A very full two week itinerary includes laying the foundation stone of a new Cathedral, addressing a clergy conference, a confirmation service and visiting many of Kagera's parishes and church organisations. The team from Suffolk will also spend time in neighbouring Rwanda and in the next door Tanzanian diocese of Lweru.

This will be Bishop Nigel's first visit to the African continent. "We will be aiming to find out how we can more effectively support the Anglican Church in Kagera," he says. "Sometimes it is easier to do that face to face. Going and looking and talking to the church people working in this very rural area will help us better focus what support we can offer from Suffolk in the future."

Before setting out, Bishop Nigel had a briefing from Dr Susan Wilson, who manages the Tumaini Fund. This charity supports 13,000 orphans and vulnerable children, casualties of the HIV/Aids epidemic in Kagera. In partnership with the diocese, a number of the children at the Ngara Anglican Primary School (NAPS) are funded by bursaries from Suffolk.

"I'm looking forward to the visit very much," says Bishop Nigel, who will be accompanied by the Revd Paul Daltry, a member of the the Diocesan World Mission Group. Paul lived and worked in Rwanda for some years and speaks Swahili. Mrs Carolyne Stock and Mrs Jean Daltry will also travel to Tanzania.