Friday, April 07, 2006 – The Chronicle Newspaper, Centralia, Washington, USA

University of Livingstonia moving ahead

By Aaron VanTuyl
avantuyl@chronline.com

 

Malawi, a country of about 13 million people in southern Africa, is slightly smaller than Pennsylvania. The CIA fact book lists Malawi as one of the six poorest nations in the world in terms of per capita gross domestic product. The progress made in educating the people of Malawi has only been hastened by support from the people of Lewis County. 

Former Centralia College President Henry Kirk, a retired educator with 42 years of experience under his belt, is currently serving as the vice chancellor of the school. His wife, Jenny Kirk, first fell in love with the people of Malawi during a mission trip with the Westminster Presbyterian Church from Chehalis back in 1998. The couple returned in the summer of 2002, just after Kirk retired from his post as Centralia’s president.  That was when the couple really got involved.  “We were ready to retire and kick back and relax, and these guys gave us a call and said, ‘Hey, come over and help us,’ ” Kirk said, recalling the moment. “Someday Jenny and I will really retire, but in the meantime, this project is so gratifying that we’re glad to be a part of it.”

With the Kirks on board, the school took off and hasn’t looked back.  “We took four existing colleges, started a fifth from scratch, and established a university,” said Kirk.  The fifth school was the College of Education.  Nearly 500 students are currently enrolled within the university. The Livingstonia College of Theology, a three-year program, graduated 25 students on Oct. 14, 2005. The graduates received their licentiate in theology, and each has been appointed to a church and awarded $50, courtesy of Westminster Presbyterian.

The 108-year dream
Livingstonia was named for Dr. David Livingstone, the 19th century Scottish explorer. The village was originally a mission founded by Dr. Robert Laws, who answered Livingstone’s call for mission workers to come to Africa, in 1895. Located on the Khondowe plateau, the mission became center for schooling in education, medical treatment and theology.

The mission grew to become the Synod of Livingstonia, a large administrative body of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian. On March 31, the Rev. Matiya Nkhoma and his wife, Mariya Nkhoma, arrived in the U.S. for a month-long stay with the Kirks.
Matiya Nkhoma, general secretary of the Synod of Livingstonia, explained that the synod works hand-in-hand with the government in providing education, health and other social services to the people of Malawi. The Livingstonia synod covers the northern third of the country.

“In British tradition, church and state work together,” Nkhoma said, adding that more than 40 percent of health services and and 60 percent of educational services are provided by the synod.  Citing the impoverished condition of Malawi, Nkhoma said that the key to rising above the adversity lies in training such as that provided by the University of Livingstonia. “We’ll only come out of poverty if we have educated people,” he said. “At the same time, young men and women will provide leadership. They’re being trained to be leaders in the society.” 

The synod had visions of a university since its inception in 1985, but not until a citizens committee recruited the Kirks in 2002 did the idea become concrete.  “Malawi kept that dream in their hearts and minds for all these years,” said Jenny Kirk.

Current issues
Though all five schools are in operation, the work is far from done.  “This third year, people have really been stepping forward,” said Jenny Kirk.

Centralia College’s business club, Rotoract, has organized a similar group in Malawi. The Livingstonia club provides other students with information about AIDS awareness, along with student rights and responsibilities, and works to keep their country free of litter.
“It’s a huge thing for the students to be involved in a thing like Rotoract,” she said. “When you start a university, there’s a lot of ancillaries that go along with it.”

Centralia also donated a box of royal blue graduation caps and gowns that match the school colors of blue and white. The theology students wore the apparel for their graduation ceremony, and in September of 2007 the first graduating class of the College of Education will don the outfits. In the meantime, the newly ordained ministers have put the blue robes to use while preaching.
“The big change is that more and more people are being involved,” Kirk said of the school.  The governments of Germany, Norway and the United Kingdom have all donated money and resources to make improvements to university facilities, he said. Still, he added, one of the most important aspects is the exchange of people between the two countries.  “When people come here, it’s those personal relationships that make a big difference,” he said.

Finishing the product
The goal of the university is to prepare the people of Malawi to train themselves, according to the Kirks.  “We’ve committed three to five years to this project, and, as we keep reminding the Malawians, this is their project, not ours,” said Henry Kirk, laughing. “The fun is that so many people in Lewis County have been involved.” 

The Rev. Nkhoma was in agreement.  “We benefit a lot by what’s taking place, equally,” he said, referring to the cooperation between Centralia College and the university. “We believe that this relationship will be of great use.”
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Aaron VanTuyl covers education and religion for The Chronicle. He may be reached at 807-8237 or by e-mail at avantuyl@chronline.com.