SOCIAL SERVICES, WOMEN AND CHILDREN’S DEPARTMENT

The department is headed by the Deputy Secretary General for Social Services, Women and Children’s . The department has three Directorates namely Health and Diakonia, Education, Women and Children. There are three Common Work Institutions under the Department (Njombe Deaf School, Mwanga Deaf School and Lutheran Junior Seminary Morogoro. 27 Dioceses jointly own these Institutions.

The department of social services, women and children has a total of 26 staff which (male14 ) and (female 12) currently.

As Strategic mandate the role of the Department and Directorate are; Coordination, Capacity Building and Facilitation, Advocacy and Church Identity and Unity. The department has three main directorate presented as following.

 

HEALTH AND DIAKONIA

  • ELCT owns 172 health facilities (24 Hospitals and 148 lower Health Centres and Dispensaries) located in Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar.
  • The Churches in Tanzania contributed about 40 percent of social services. ELCT contribution to social services provision is 15 percent. The hospitals and lower health facilities most of them are located in the rural areas where by most people are poor and far from communication facilities. 
  • ELCT Health Directorate also run and supervises several projects and programs in line with the mission of the Church. Directorate conducts supportive supervision and provides technical support to hospitals and lower health facilities. Other programs include Hygiene, Reproductive Health, and Palliative Care services funded by ELCA, Vunja Ukimya Funded by Church of Sweden and Doctors Training and INUKA program funded by DIFAEM. ELCT is the largest provider of Palliative care services in Tanzania funded. Doctors, who are trained at a specialized level, are meant to increase number of qualified staff in our health facilities.

  • In April 2022, Heath Directorate was awarded a 5 years USAID project namely Kizazi Hodari meaning Hopeful, Daring and Risk Free Generation. The activity will be implemented in 6 Regions of Kilimanjaro, Arusha, Singida, Dodoma, Morogoro and Tanga covering 20 Councils.

EDUCATION

ELCT operates 120 training institutions (including 17 Primary Schools, 70 Secondary Schools, 21 Vocational training, 9 Special Schools for kids with special needs and 6 Universities Colleges.

The Schools are under Dioceses; while for the daily operational activities we have educational Secretaries,


WOMEN AND CHILDRENS WORK

In recognition of the importance of Women, the Church established the Directorate of Women and Children in 1979 to promote solidarity between women and men. Director is working closely with women and coordinators from all 27 ELCT Diocese.

The major decision making organ of the ELCT Women Directorate is the General Assembly and Women Council leaded by the ELCT Women. Chairperson who is elected by the ELCT Women General Assembly and endorsed by the ELCT General Assembly. The key decision making  includes:

1.General Assembly of Women, ELCT (Constitutional meeting

2. ELCT Women’s Council (Constitutional meeting)

3.ELCT Women Coordinators meeting

ELCT Gender Justice Program project- funded by Act CoS

The Women directorate coordinate and implement the gender justice program aiming at correcting gender imbalances in all spheres of life economically, politically, socially, technologically, legally and spiritually. The program established champions at the capacity of Bishops, General Secretaries, Women and Youth Coordinators, Pastors, Evangelists and Sunday school teachers.