Umoja - Transforming Communities - Guides

Umoja ("togetherness" in Swahili), is a programme to help church leaders and their congregations work together with the community to bring about positive changes for the whole community by building on the resources and skills they already have. It is a process designed to inspire and equip local people with a vision for determining their own future with their own resources.

Umoja consists of two main guides, one for facilitators and one for coordinators. The Umoja Facilitator's Guide contains "Bible studies, activities, energisers, tools, advice, and a step-by-step process to help a church and community become inspired and start working for transformation in their community." The Umoja Co-ordinator's Guide provides what an organisation or church needs to know to start and manage an Umoja programme across a number of local communities.

The Umoja Facilitator's Guide details a workshop format and step-by-step planning and implementation and covers the following areas:

• An overview of Umoja - its purpose, benefits, the role of the facilitator
• Envisioning the church - Bible studies and activities to help churches gain a vision for community involvement
• Envisioning the community - activities and ideas to help communities assess their needs and resources, with accompanying Bible studies where appropriate
• Dreaming dreams and planning for action - activities and ideas to help communities develop a vision for the future and plan for it, with accompanying Bible studies where appropriate
• Taking action - activities and advice to help communities ensure that the plans are carried out and positive change happens
• Evaluation - a review of how the church and the community have worked together to plan and run projects

The Umoja Co-ordinator's Guide provides advice and tools for helping Umoja managers to:

• Liaise with senior denominational church leaders about Umoja
• Work with senior church leaders in identifying appropriate local churches and communities who can benefit from Umoja
• Recruit and train local Umoja facilitators
• Manage the programme and coach and support Umoja facilitators 
• Monitor and evaluate Umoja
• Expand the programme to more and more communities 
• Adapt the Umoja process to their own context and unique situation

Printed copies of both manuals are available. For more information, please contact: umoja@tearfund.org