Jesus’ call to ‘Follow me’ is an invitation to all kinds of people – men, women, young people and children from every conceivable race, nationality and background. Following Christ doesn’t stop with baptism and confirmation, with a conversion experience, or with belonging to a church community. That’s just the beginning. And from that point on, it’s our responsibility to do all we can to ensure that we grow and deepen our faith, and to encourage the faith of our family and others around us.Through a call to exploration and personal discipline, the Bishop of Guildford's Lent call also raises funds for the local community work carried out by the Bishop of Guildford's Foundation, and (this year) a project to support children with disabilities in Tanzania. 

Tanzania remains one of the lowest-income countries in the world.  Families with disabled children are amongst the most vulnerable members of Tanzanian society as a result of the stigma still attached to disability in a largely traditional African environment.  Recent evidence shows that most mothers have been abandoned by their husbands, friends and community making it almost impossible for them to work and socially integrate.This project is a continuation of a successful collaboration between the Anglican and Catholic Dioceses in Morogoro.  The collaboration has already seen success with its initial programme to raise awareness in the area to the needs of the disabled community.  

The aim of this project is to give these families greater social integration and economic empowerment by identifying and training them to run and develop projects that will provide them with a sustainable income.  Project teams will help to identify activities that align with the families, the village interests and the skills of those involved.  Families will be supported on an ongoing basis to ensure a successful outcome.