Group members from Gateway Church. Acomb, York who are visited Bethany in November 2003 together with Anne McFadyen from St. Anne’s Shevington.

Click here to go to Gateway Church’s website

(Left to right) Rick, Emma, John, Anne, Erin, Dave and Pete

Click on photo for enlargement

Trip to Bethany - November 2003
Extracts from a report compiled by the youth team from Gateway Church, Acomb, York.
Members: Pete Gardner, Rich Martin, Emma Hannigan and Erin Candler
They can be contacted by email through Pete Gardner (
click here to email)

Report on Bethany
November 2003


The children
With each child's character and quality of life as the measurement of the project's success, Bethany can be very proud of its achievements.
The children at Bethany were truly remarkable; they were so full of life, confidence and a genuine love for one another. The children had a real love for life which was inspiring.
The younger children were entertained for hours playing, but were more than willing to do jobs and loved helping the older kids. The older children impressed us by taking leadership roles, especially China and Ibrahim, ensuring that the other children do their daily jobs. Also the older children took the initiative to work with the management team in dealing with problems and difficult children.

Education
The education that the children receive appears to be very good and the children were not afraid to speak or read to us in English. They seem to have serious commitment to their studies with ambitions and aspirations to succeed and gain successful careers.

Food
The food at Bethany was good and very high quality by Tanzanian standards. The diet provided all the necessities for growth and nourishment and also gave some variety to the menu. The hygiene standard was also very impressive for Tanzania; the Bethany kitchen was the cleanest we saw. The new kitchen area is obviously a large contributing factor.

Accommodation
The buildings at Bethany were very good quality all with concrete floors and tin roofs, which is very high standard building for Tanzania. However by far the greatest facilities are the constant running drinking water, clean flush toilets and electricity. We had to come away from Bethany to realise how good it was. Having stayed in a 'quality motel' in Mwanza it was a real eye opener to the quality of Bethany. The 'quality motel' lacked the basic amenities of electric, water and flush toilets as the power was off for two days (a problem Bethany doesn't have with its own supply of water and electricity). In addition the hygiene and general condition of the building was nowhere close to that of Bethany. We think it is very impressive that the quality of an 'orphanage' is far superior to that of a professional establishment in the hospitality industry.

Finance
The way that the finance is stewarded at Bethany is a very effective system. The financial planning was well organised and we saw no real waste of money.

Tanzanian team
The Tanzanian team is one of the most crucial parts to the effectiveness of Bethany, however it is also one of the most difficult parts of the project to manage successfully.
These difficulties come mainly from the cultural difference between Tanzania and the western world; the cultural differences run deep and mean a totally different set of values to life, which in the past have not been affected by employment or the Christian faith. These differences are highlighted by previous problems at Bethany, however  the U.K team have worked tirelessly to understand and penetrate the culture in a way that is understandable and practical to the Tanzanian team. The difference in the team since the last visit approximately eight months ago is amazing, the team seem much closer to the vision and values of Bethany and more inspired to do the work.

Summary
When you look at Bethany from a western perspective we believe that it is impossible to build a realistic opinion of the project. However Bethany is a unique project in that it manages to bridge the gap between two cultures to provide a high quality, safe and loving family environment for children, who would otherwise have nothing. Bethany does have problems and we don't ignore that, but what organisation doesn't? We believe that the time and effort put in by  the U.K team and the Tanzanian team is making the project a unique cross-cultural success. The greatest achievement for us is that despite all the adverse problems, problems with volunteers and the difference between culture, these children who come from horrific backgrounds are provided for in every way. They have a life that they love and a family that cares for them.


We believe in and support the Bethany project - God bless you all!

Emma, Erin, Rich and Pete