Tanzania Anglican Youth Organisation (TAYO)
“Don’t let anyone look down upon you because you are young, but set an example in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”
1 Timothy 4:12
Provincial Youth Coordinator: Revd. David Wilson Mdabuko
Tel: +255 (0)26 232 1468
Mobile: +255 (0)748 683519
Email:
mdabuko@anglican.or.tz
Youth Development
Officer: Andrew G. Russell
Mobile: +255 (0)787 819225
Email:
andrewrussell@anglican.or.tz
Our Mission: “TAYO exists to empower young people to reach their full potential spiritually, mentally, & physically so that they can play a complete role in the Church and in society.”
Youth in Tanzania
Like youth everywhere, young people in Tanzania are energetic and eager to improve themselves. However the poor economic situation of the Tanzanian economy means that opportunities for a good education and employment are extremely limited. Churches offer young people the opportunity to gather and socialise, learn from each other and elders in a secure and affirming environment.
TAYO Background
TAYO officially sits under the Anglican Church of Tanzania (ACT) and was formed in the early 1980’s by youth of the Anglican Church. The Archbishop of ACT is our patron and the Provincial General Secretary acts as special advisor.
There are over 1 million young people in ACT forming more than 1/3 of the Church’s total membership. However young people are poorly represented in the Church’s leadership structures. For this reason TAYO principally acts as a representative organisation for all the youth of ACT. In 2004 TAYO held its first national youth convention which elected the TAYO national youth executive. Representatives of this executive committee have now been accepted to sit on ACT’s General Synod.
At the diocese level there are TAYO youth committees and youth coordinators who work to support the young people in Christian discipleship and formation, to be responsible leaders in their church and community, and to become successful in their life goals.
In this way TAYO strives for the holistic development of young people, body, mind and spirit.
Our objectives are :
 | To improve youth awareness and participation in TAYO so that it is truly representative. |
| To reduce the incidence of young people in Tanzania catching life threatening diseases, particularly HIV/AIDS. |
| To improve the economic status of young people in Tanzania |
| To improve access for youth to sources of Christian knowledge and tools for faith development |
| To increase the participation of youth in decision-making processes at all levels of the church |
| To increase opportunities for young people to improve their gifts and talents further through further education and vocational training. |
| To reduce the number of young people being drawn into drug abuse. |
TAYO Activities
TAYO activities reflect the holistic nature of our goals to support all the youth of Tanzania to achieve self-fulfilment. However, the low economic status of Tanzanian youth means that TAYO has a very small financial base. TAYO seeks contributions from its youth membership, but cannot survive on these alone. New income generating businesses are currently being planned to help TAYO’s financial sustainability. Individual and external donors are also approached to help fund specific activities and projects.
Examples of activities that TAYO is currently implementing through the support of donors are:
| A national HIV/AIDS youth peer-education programme |
| National youth meetings |
| A national Bible distribution project for youth in rural areas |
| Short residential training courses for youth leaders. |
How You Can Support Us
TAYO is always seeking collaboration with people and organizations that are sympathetic to our goals. Examples of new activities we are planning for 2007-2008 are:
| A youth groups micro-credit scheme to create employment and help youth groups generate income |
| To start a recording studio offering skills training in sound engineering and recording the new music of young Tanzanians |
| Distributing Christian literature and educational materials to dioceses across Tanzania |
| Expand our existing youth HIV/AIDS awareness programme into every diocese in Tanzania. |
Without support from donors, we will not be able to carry out the above activities. Please take time to discern how you could support TAYO, through a donation, prayers and collaboration. Contact the TAYO Youth Coordinator for more information on how you can support any of these planned projects.
ACT Youth Week 28th November to 5th December, 2004
Making good music is very popular among youth. These youth have made their own traditional instruments in the diocese of Kondoa
Youth choirs are the most popular youth groups in the Anglican Church of Tanzania
Learning from youth project like this carpentry project run by a youth group in the diocese of the Rift Valley
