A couple from Reading have been recognised as honorary lay canons in Tanzania. Bridget and Leslie Green set up the charity Friends of Amani Tanzania (FOAT) in 2006 and have been honoured for their work.
The charity, which is supported by among others by St Luke and St Bartholomew’s in Reading and St Peter’s in Earley, works with families who have disabled children in Amani and, more recently, Shinyanga.
Bridget said: “We had never dreamt that we would be honoured in that way. We have always been passionate about helping the disadvantaged in Tanzania. To be given that honorary status is something else and it has meant a tremendous amount to us.”
The charity’s work focuses on community-based rehabilitation as well as educational projects. Each year Bridget and Leslie visit Shinyanga to see the impact of their support. There the charity works with families whose children have albinism and suffer from the associated stigma. FOAT has even purchased bikes for their evangelists to use to get out and about, after one of them brought 125 people to baptism in just one month!
The organisation is always on the look out for more churches to support their work, if you’re interested please contact Bridget. The couple are pictured with the Rt Revd Johnson Chinyongele and his wife Faith.