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One man’s vision: Revd John Nauman, Managing Director of The Amani Centre
John Naumann grew up in an Anglican family on a farm near Toowoomba. After leaving school he studied at St Francis’ Theological Seminary in Brisbane graduating in 1966. After his ordination, he worked in several parishes in Brisbane and other parts of Queensland before moving to take up the position at St Stephen’s in Billings, Montana USA in 1989. In 1992, St. Stephen’s invited a Tanzanian minister and his wife to visit. Both were schoolteachers doing postgraduate work. Subsequently, St. Stephen’s began helping sponsor students who couldn’t afford an education and in 2000, John spent part of his sabbatical leave in Tanzania.
It was then he realised how desperately the people there needed water. On his return to the USA he started raising money to build deep-water wells to supply uncontaminated water. Gradually it became possible to introduce drip irrigation to help families and the local community raise vegetables to improve their nutrition, and so began the vision for the THE AMANI CENTRE. In 2005 John left the USA to settle permanently in Tanzania to dedicate himself to supporting and continuing his work with the community there. While he hopes to remain active for many years to come, he is now training local people to be able to take his place after his eventual retirement.
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