Better Together | CRY Forum 2026
Tanzania Forum: A Gathering of Nations, Faith, and the maturing of a Movement
A year of preparation culminated in a powerful international forum in Tanzania—an event that unfolded over just a few days but left a lasting impact on all who attended. Delegates from across Sierra Leone, Liberia, Madagascar, Togo, South Sudan, Guinea, Congo, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Uganda, South Africa, Kenya, Mauritania, and the UK gathered with a shared purpose: to connect, learn, pray, and strengthen one another in their work supporting children across Africa.
The Journey
The journey itself set the tone. An unexpected overnight stop in Ethiopia—initially seen as a disruption—became a moment of rest, prayer, and renewed dependence on God. From there, delegates travelled onward together, arriving in Tanzania with a strong sense of unity and expectation.
The forum opened with registration, worship, and a deep sense of anticipation as teams came together and relationships began to form.
Across the following days, seminars and teaching sessions were led by partners sharing powerful testimonies of sacrifice, faith, and impact. The focus was on learning from one another. Worship, dance and prayer formed the heartbeat of each day, crossing languages and cultures and reinforcing a shared sense of mission.
What emerged was not simply a conference environment, but a growing sense of family among all present.
The emphasis on native-led voices was particularly significant, with delegates learning from each other’s experiences and contexts rather than relying on external input.
A highlight of the week was a visit to Maasai land, where delegates were welcomed with song, dance, and extraordinary hospitality. The visit included worship with the community, gifts exchanged between the Maasai tribe and visiting delegates, and a deeply moving experience at a pre-school supported by CRY.
The children’s joy, along with the visible impact of education and care, underscored the practical difference being made on the ground.
See the Maasailand day reel above—featuring truly unique moments that capture a day which will remain with delegates for a lifetime.
The group also spent time in prayer at a local church, where moments of worship, reflection, and unexpected encounters added further depth to the day. Evening gatherings continued in celebration and spontaneous worship at a downtown restaurant, reinforcing the sense of unity that had developed throughout the week.
Spontaneous songs rising in a local restaurant with our delegates from 15 countries lifting their voice together to celebrate God and Africa.
As the forum drew to a close, the final day brought both reflection and unexpected challenges—including urgent travel issues, illness, and logistical complications. Through collective prayer and rapid response, each situation was resolved, reinforcing the shared belief in providence and perseverance.
By the end of the week, delegates parted ways across the continent, carrying with them shared memories, strengthened relationships, and renewed purpose. Though the forum concluded, the prevailing sentiment remained clear:
this was not simply an event, but the formation of a lasting African movement.
Furthermore, here is a powerful poem written by our project partner in Zimbabwe, who attended the Forum and shared her reflections on the experience.
Firelight
There are stories here
to fill your heart with tears
that fall flaming
into the soul.
No Instagram wonders with viral following;
No super-hero narratives of marvellous deeds –
but epic battles nonetheless,
fought on obscure fronts
of the General’s choosing.
Here are tales of tender tenacity
wrestled by the Jabbok
through the long night,
contending for the blessing,
refusing to let go …
… yet no less tightly held.
Here we hear of the ordinary and unknown,
the unacclaimed,
setting out in extraordinary obedience
on impossible journeys
brightened by Ebenezers
though still incomplete.
Here we trace chronologies
charted through jungles of risk and rejection,
across deserts of scarcity and loss,
scaling challenge and disappointment,
pierced by sacrifice and suffering,
but steadfast in daily determination
to do the mundane again,
and again,
holding true to the compass
to reach, to serve, to love.
The odds against
stand stacked steeply
thirty-, sixty-, a hundredfold
but another tale
provokes persistent hope
of a single seed that yields a greater harvest.
So they lay down lives,
building patient bridges,
their stories sprung
from the greatest of all stories
and the Life
laid down to bridge the great divide.
There are songs here
poured out by voices
generous as the hearts that pulse within them
warmly inviting all
to join the circle of celebration.
Songs, brave and bold,
richly rhythmed,
wide as the green plains
from which they rise,
patterned like Maasai beads
with layered harmonies.
Strong songs treasured
and held together
by melodies and messages
that transcend tongues,
tribes and borders.
Songs to make the feet rejoice
and the heart dance.
Songs reflecting that great Song,
ancient and soon-coming,
that will sing our dreams true
in a music
better and more beautiful
than any we can conceive.
And there is respite here
as deep waters stir again
under a deep, sweet breath,
calling deep to deep,
and the oil flows down,
down, down –
rekindling dwindling embers,
unweighting weariness,
loosening eagles to fly again.
We linger long around the fire,
a communion of shared stories,
shared songs,
shared strength.
The multi-hued blankets
of our textured cultures
glow in the light,
reflected, too, in each dear face.
Our common heart laughs,
loves, learns from
our diversity.
At last,
with bread in our baskets,
and flasks fresh-filled,
weapons for our warfare now sharply polished,
and new tools for our tasks held in our hands,
thankful and thoughtful,
we part,
yet stay together.
(Inspired by the stories, songs and courageous service of the people at the CRY Forum in Tanzania, May 2026, and our visit to a church and preschool in Maasailand)
