After a 34 year career as a Civil/ Sanitary Engineer, George Otte decided to join MKLM in 2008. Like his wife, fellow MKLM missioner, Michele, George had spent years volunteering to serve his community.

Parishioners of St. Raymond Church, Menlo Park, in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, the couple volunteered with Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WME). WME is a workshop organization that helps couples strengthen their marriage through their faith. George was also very active with Boy Scouts.

George earned two Civil / Sanitary Engineering degrees from the University of California: a Bachelor of Science, at Berkeley, and a Master of Science, at Davis.

In Mwanza, Tanzania, lack of adequate of health care, especially prenatal and early childhood care, poor nutrition, inadequate sanitation, and lack of access to clean water contribute to the high number of children with disabilities. In the Tanzanian culture, disabled children are often neglected and even shunned by their families and society. Children with disabilities of any sort are not admitted into the overcrowded public school system. MKLM missioner Bertha Haas co-founded Hurama School for Children with Disabilities to address the needs of disabled children in Mwanza. It is at Huruma that George serves in mission, assisting Huruma’s Director to provide vision, leadership, and skills development, and to attain financial resources.

In addition to responding to the daily needs of the children, including their physical therapy, health care, nutrition, and education, Huruma provides a support network for parents and caretakers of children with disabilities. By approaching all angles of the children’s development, the children have the opportunity to gain dignity and the respect of their community.

Huruma has led several initiatives to ensure its long-term sustainability. First, Huruma began a training program for its teachers. Because the Tanzanian school system suffers a shortage of teachers, materials, and resources, much of education is rote learning and enhanced teaching methods are unknown. Huruma mentors its teachers in newly adopted teaching methods that also appropriate and tailored for disabled children.  Second, the school’s leaders established an independent board of directors and helped the school gain the recognition of the government. Third, the financial resources and funding methods created are fiscally prudent and self-sustaining. 

George helps implement the work skills program by purchasing tools, providing safe and secure storage for those valuable resources, mentoring a Tanzanian teacher in the methods of performing and teaching woodworking, drainage construction, and landscaping, and by teaching the children.

Practically, the program allows the children a means by which to function independently. Spiritually, the children gain a sense of pride and dignity.