IMAM TRAINING REPORT Buteza Twale, Sironko Muslim District Council

 September 2012

  Introduction

The idea of training Imams was a proposal by Bro. Amir Manghali who passed it over to the Twale committee and it was accepted. Together with Sheikh Muhamood Gimanayi and Abdulmajid Mugoya preliminaries arrangements were made for the training and these included consulting Imams in Buteza to identify their training needs. After the Imams input a curriculum was developed and accepted among Imams. Most of the gaps were in basic Islamic knowledge that Imams needed refresher courses, that most of them have never attended formal Imam training and the most gap ware issues in mosque management. Sheikh Gimanayi was identified to be the Training Coordinator and the Twale Sheikh Badiru Kalanda made the necessary arrangements for the training to take place that included meeting and presenting the objectives of the training to the Local Government Authorities (LCI, LCIII and GISO) and thereafter the school management at Bunandalo was approached to give a classroom for the training. The resource persons for the training were identified for the training to start from June 17^th, 2012 to August 17^th, 2012 at Bunandalo Mosque and Primary school starting at 10.00 am to 4.00 pm Sundays to Wednesdays. The course will lead to an award “Certificate in Mosque Administration & Management”. This is part of the long term Imams Leadership Development Programme and line with HE the Mufti of Uganda’s vision of Unity and Development. The training was formerly opened by the Twale Chairman in presence of Local Authorities.

 

Training Objectives

      (a)  Understanding the Application of Qur'an and Sunnah in an Imams daily life.

  (b)  Prepare Imams as Spiritual Leaders with duties and obligations of heading a Muslim community.

     (c)  Encourage the virtues of being a respectable and responsible sober-minded Imam in Uganda.

Methodology

-                   Lectures and Tutorials,

-            Practical Exercises and Case Studies,

-       Reading, Recitation and Assignments,

-       Assessments.

Participants

The class was meant for only 23 Imams in Buteza Twale but 3 imams from Buyobo Twale and other 4 duat from Buteza Twale joined to make the number of attendees to 30.

Resources

Well wishers contributed to the training from locally generated funds were the Imams themselves who contributed their own lunch. Other who contributed towards Imams meals included Br. Sowali Wetaaka, Kafo Mutwalibi (UMSC member GA) and Sheikh Hamza Walumu (Twale Sheikh Bufumbo) who also donated books. Brother Amir Manghali contributed towards transporting of trainers to and from Mbale for all the 60 days of the training. He also donated 30 kanzus (khamees) and 30 Islamic caps (Kofiya) for Imams given during the certificate awarding ceremony, provided all stationary , printing coloured certificates, honorarium  and contribution towards the certificate awarding ceremony and media coverage. Detailed finance report is annexed.  The lead trainer was Sheikh Mahmood Z. Gimanayi who was a key resource in soliciting all the necessary training materials.