Africa
ONA Network Inc. – Tanzania
Ona Network is a not-for-profit, non-governmental trust dedicated to improving the eye health and vision of people living in Tanzania. “Ona” means “see” on Swahili, the national language of Tanzania. Based in Dodoma in central Tanzania, Ona Network administer vision services, including cataract surgery, to tens of thousnads of people every year. Theur services rely on volunteer eye surgeons, optemetrists, opticians and nurses from around the world.
from the Global Interaction website:
PAM AND KEITH – consultants to church groups in Zambia & Zimbabwe
After a short period of service in Papua New Guinea (where Keith had also worked as a teacher prior to their marriage) Pam and Keith returned to Africa, this time to Malawi. Under their leadership, Global Interaction’s church-planting team was established there, and gospel sharing began among a desperately needy people group. One aspect of the gospel sharing has been the implementation of development programs to help and empower communities to address serious problems with food shortages and poverty. As a result of these initiatives, we are now seeing exciting spiritual and social transformation and growth taking place in this rural area of Malawi.
Always an entrepreneur and visionary, Keith then recognised the need for Global Interaction to work with members of the same people group across the border in Mozambique. So the original team divided, with Keith, Pam and two other families setting up work in Mozambique. This team is now growing and significant friendships have been developed as team members visit rural areas regularly to talk with people and to tell them of Jesus. Keith set up an educational program through which teachers from Mozambique (where Portuguese is the national language) interchange with teachers from Zambia (where English is the national language). This program helps Mozamiquan teachers fulfil more effectively the Mozambique government’s requirements for teaching English. At the same time, the Mozambiquan teachers, most of whom follow a mix of African traditional and Islamic beliefs and practices, are exposed to Zambian believers and African-Christian worship experiences.