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The Malila
Here is information on another group from the Mbeya region. Information has been taken from the Uganda-Tanzania website: www.thetask.net. Please prayerfully consider adopting one of these people groups for yourself by praying for them and following their progress as we update you from the field.
The Malila
The Malila live high in the mountains in the Mbeya Region of Tanzania. Their culture and language are well-preserved and the Malila are proud of their heritage. They place a high value on hospitality and are known to go above and beyond the call of duty to make sure that guests are properly taken care of.
One of the customs for those who follow the traditional beliefs is to carry the bodies of their deceased to all the places they went while they were still alive. It is believed that this provides someone who has died with a proper chance to say goodbye.
The Malila are warm, hospitable people. They are excited to get the Word of God in their mother tongue.
Location within Country: Mbeya Region, about 40 km southwest of the town of Mbeya.
Geography and Climate: Savannah and tropical forest. They live high in the mountains where the temperature can drop to 42° F. The climate is perfect for farming -they have moisture in the form of dew all year round.
Altitude: 2000m
Population: 70,000
Malila fields stretch as far as the eye can see.(Mbeya, Tanzania)
Cultural Information: The Malila have been somewhat isolated from other groups due to the geographic location, which is not easily accessible, but the area is rich agriculturally. The Malila are very hard working. Their fields stretch as far as one can see, and all their work is done by hand. Their crops consist of: maize, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, beans, millet, and some wheat. Cash crops include coffee and pyrethrum. Due to adequate rainfall the people can harvest up to three times per year. They have enough food for their daily lives and get money from selling their harvests in Santilya, a local market town.
Health: There is very little malaria due to the high altitude but diarrhea is a large health concern for the Malila people.
Religion: Christian, traditional religion. There is a growing church in the Malila area but many pastors are having difficulty preaching from a Swahili Bible. They often preach in Malila but cannot read the Bible in Malila as it does not exist. They are longing for the Word of God in their language. Now work has begun in order to help them to get it. Strong evangelistic efforts in the region by the churches have resulted in numerous Christians.
The Translation Team: These committed translators are from the Evangelical and Baptist churches.
 Rev Lukas M |
 Rev Jonas M |
The Literacy Team:
 Mr. Juliasi M |
 Mr. Bahati M |
The Malila Church: There was an overwhelming consensus among the church leaders that the Malila Bible is wanted and that they themselves would use it. A strong motivation is the lack of Swahili proficiency. Most churches use Malila regularly in their services but find it difficult, especially in worship, since the Bible can only be read in Swahili. Even those who did not know Malila themselves said that they would have the Malila Bible read and used in church, for evangelism, and even in their home. There is definitely a strong support from church leaders to having and using Malila Scriptures.
History: No previous language development has been attempted in Malila.