Africa U Changing the World

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The Rev. Mande Muyombo, a self-described boy from the ‘hood in the Congo, now works for peace in his home country thanks to a calling from God and Africa University.

“I understand the meaning of resurrection through Africa University,” he told Western PA United Methodists recently.

Muyombo, the first-born of 16 children of a polygamist father who made the equivalent of about $30 a month, said growing up his family had one meal a day, if they could. “I could have been a child soldier…but I felt a call to ministry,” he said, “and Africa University made me a preacher.”

“The first day (at Africa U), I could not speak any word of English. There are 350 dialects in the Congo. People cannot understand one another. That why you hear about tribal conflict.”

Through an intensive course in English, he said, “I could communicate with brothers from countries I was told were my enemies. Now all of us go to our homes and tell them that there is no difference between Congolese, Rwandans…..We are all human beings and we deserve to live in peace.”

Muyombo said Africa University changed his life and as an elder who recently earned a master’s degree in peace, leadership and government he is committed to working for peace in his homeland. He sometimes interacts with fellow graduates in other nations who have the same goal.

“Education is civilizing and it civilized me,” he said. “I was able to rise from the ‘hood.”.

Muyombo was one of three graduates of Africa University who spoke at a forum at Warren UMC in Pittsburgh’s Hill District on March 21. All three are from large families and were able to attend the university through scholarships and aid provided by United Methodists. And all three, said Associate Vice Chancellor James Sally, are living proof of the effectiveness of the education provided by the United Methodist-related university in Old Mutare, Zimbabwe.

Salley, the three alumni, and other representatives of the AU Advisory Development Committee spoke in Western PA pulpits and public forums March 21-23 to tell the story of how the the school the UMC “started in a chicken coop” in 1992 is changing lives all over Africa.

The 1988 General Conference approved starting a university in Zimbabwe despite the objections of at least one delegate who said “it would be like ouring money down a rat hole,” Salley said. The university opened with programs (faculties) in agriculture and natural resources in renovated buildings on Old Mutare Farm in what’s known as the Valley of Hope.

“Today, Salley said, “there are 1300 students, 320 staff members, 26 buildings and four more under construction, a balanced budget, clean audit and no debt!” The school offers undergraduate degrees in six disciplines and graduate degrees in agriculture, management, theology, health sciences, and peace, leadership and government.

“It’s all because of people who decided to be the church in the world,” Salley said.

Africa University has become a powerful source of hope and an agent for positive change on the continent, he said.

To explain why, Retired Bishop J. Lawrence McCleskey, who now serves as AU’s executive vice president for development, recalled a quotation from his student days at Duke University: “Next to religion, education is the most civilizing force in the world. When you put these two things together you have a powerful force for leadership in the world.”

Martha Mutisi, now studying for a PhD at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA on a an AU faculty development fellowship, said Africa University’s grounding in Christian ethics is “something that sets us apart from graduates of many other universities.”

A native of Zimbabwe from a family of 11 children, Mutisi said her life “was changed by the interaction with students from all over Africa.” As a result of her AU education and experience with students from 34 different countries, she said she can compete effectively at George Mason and cope with living in a different culture there.

“I fell in love with the Institute of Peace, Leadership and Governance (IPLG) when it was still an idea,” Mutisi said. Then an AU faculty member in sociology, she enrolled in 2003, and was the top graduate, earning the fellowship to George Mason.

“Peace is the sole purpose and mission (of the Institute),” Salley said, and “the mission is to find ways to help people to live together, learn how to govern themselves and live together without going to war.”

Adhering to the African proverb that “if you educate one person, you have educated the whole village,” Mutisi is supporting two sisters who are currently studying at Africa U.

Richard Fotsin Fotsin of the Cameroon on Africa’s West coast, is currently paying for a sibling to go to medical school.

Fotsin, a graduate of the University of Yaounde in his home country, earned a masters degree in business at Africa U and currently works in information technology at Michigan State and as a consultant in IT and web development for the AU Development Office.

Salley said the cost of educating one student for one year at Africa U. is about $5400 in U.S. dollars. Several individuals and congregations in the United States support students. A one-time gift of $116,000 will fully fund one student in perpetuity, he added.

Because Zimbabwe currently has the highest inflation rate in the world, the university began accepting fees in US currency in January.

“The good news is that a number of students have been able to pay their fees,” Salley said. “Some had to drop out. Sometimes all an individual needs is $50 or $100, and we are able to provide that.”

Support for Africa University in Western PA has been strong in the past. The chair established in honor of the late Bishop Roy Nichols, who served Western PA, is one of five that are fully funded, Salley noted.

The development officials added that ties to Western PA have also been strengthened through the Nyadire Connection. Africa University’s nursing students are trained at the Nyadire Mission.

“The hope for Zimbabwe is in its citizens,” Salley explained. “They are a very resilient people.” And Africa University is a beacon of hope for the nation and the continent.

“That’s because it’s a symbol of how life can be better. This is how you can change generations, how you can change a continent.”