Fr. John Naumann
Director of the Amani Devopment Organization
Fr. John Naumann graduated from St. Francis Theological Seminary in 1966, then served in a series of churches in Australia, arriving at St. Stephen's in Billings, Montana in 1989. In addition to St. Stephen's Billings, he served for eight years as the priest in charge in Glendive, Miles City and Forsyth, until another priest took on that duty.
In 1992, St. Stephen's invited the Rev. Ainea Kusenhia and his wife, Mary, to come visit from central Tanzania. Both were schoolteachers doing postgraduate work at Trinity Episcopal School of Ministry at Ambridge, Pa. They accepted the invitation to come to Billings and that began this wonderful connection. St. Stephen's began helping sponsor students who couldn't afford an education.
In 2000, Naumann spent much of his four-month sabbatical in Tanzania. It was then he realized the people desperately needed water. So he came home and started raising money to build deep-water wells to supply the precious resource. The cost of to survey, drill and properly equip each well is $30,000.
For Naumann, it is a labor of love. The benefits of uncontaminated water are far-reaching, he said. Life is totally transformed and the cycle of cholera is broken because the people have access to clean water. The incidence of typhoid is greatly reduced and mothers no longer have to spend long hours walking to a distant source of water.. Eye infections in children practically disappear because sufficient water exists for proper hygiene.
Now, drip irrigation is being introduced to help families and communities raise vegetables to improve their nutrition. A system called bucket irrigation helps families raise gardens using relatively little water. In communities where there are deep wells, enough water is available for family gardens. Each kit costs $8 USD and two kits will provide a household of seven with vegetables for a full 12 months.
The Amani for Africa USA Foundation, has been set up separate from St. Stephen's to support the work of the Amani Development Organization. Naumann lives at the main Amani Center site in Makang'wa, south of Dodoma, the capital of Tanzania. The goal of the Amani Development Center is to be locally self-sustaining, and to continue helping communities in Tanzania help themselves.
The Hearts for Africa Foundation was formed in Australia in September 2005. It is registered in Queensland, Australia as a charity (CH1533) and was formed with the sole aim of raising funds from the public to relieve poverty through the work of the Amani Development Organization.
The Amani Development Organization is a community-related and Christ-centered ministry in central Tanzania.
The ministry includes - Water Resources, Agricultural/Horticultural Development, Education, Social and Spiritual Development, Health and Nutrition.
Activities are community centered with the goal of developing healthy communities that are closely involved in planning and operation.
The immediate aim is establishing basic sustainability. The long term aim is to develop a continuing capacity for expansion of operations within Tanzania.
