Tanzania is a republic in the Indian Ocean in East Africa, of 35 million people, about 25 percent of whom are Catholic. The Spiritans in Tanzania work with both local and refugee populations, who mostly live in rural areas and make their living from the land.
Fr. Paul Flamm, C.S.Sp., works in Tanzania with refugees from neighboring Burundi. The Spiritans work with more than 30,000 Catholics; perhaps half of them are active in the church. With this many people, the Spiritans spend most of their time on sacramental ministry, working hard to unify the community and strengthen its leadership. Fr. Flamm writes:
"We are working in two refugee camps in the Kigoma region of western Tanzania with more than 80,000 people who have fled the ongoing civil war in Burundi. The refugees face many hardships in their life in exile. They fled with only the clothes on their backs. The assistance they receive from aid agencies, while appreciated, is barely enough to get by on. Their movement outside the camps is restricted, hence employment opportunities are very limited."
