Our Mission
Transformation Through Education (TTE) was born out of the need to create opportunities where there were none, and to bring hope, growth, and empowerment to those living in a disadvantaged location.
The extremely dire situation facing the youth in the Namulenga district, which falls within the purview of the Archdiocese of Blantyre, Malawi, cannot be over emphasized. Amid adversity, where resources are scarce and opportunities seem limited and, in most cases, non-existent, TTE is embarking on a mission to create positive change.
The vision of TTE, is to promote substantial progress in rural communities of the Archdiocese of Blantyre, Malawi, through the establishment of outstanding high schools for the truly poor youth in the region, hence the decision to construct the Our Lady of Namulenga High School Complex. This project is not just about addressing immediate needs, it’s about fostering sustainable change that will resonate through generations. It’s about enabling the young minds of this community to dream beyond their current reality and realize their potential.
TTE believes that education is the cornerstone of progress, a key that unlocks doors to a better tomorrow. Beyond education, this project is aimed at creating a sense of community and empowerment. The fostering of a safe space where dreams are nurtured, talents honed, and voices amplified. Through the various disciplines that would be offered and taught, avenues would be provided for self-expression and a means to rise above adversity.
Transformation Through Education
Through the visionary leadership of Archbishop Thomas Msusa, the Archbishop of Blantyre and Bishop Emeritus Richard Pates, a core group of seasoned professionals within the Catholic Church, namely, Brother James Gaffney FSC-President Emeritus of Lewis University, Christopher Nye, Peter Mark, Fr. Francis K. Tambala, and Eric Koranteng were invited to assist in bringing this vision into reality. Together these passionate and motivated leaders formed “Transformation Through Education” (TTE).
Our Board of Directors
Archbishop Thomas Luke Msusa heads the Archdiocese of Blantyre, Malawi, Africa.He is committed to development of a robust education system that meets the needs and challenges of the students across the Diocese.
With almost 40 years’ experience in the electronics industry, Dave Doherty has the served as president of DigiKey, a global electronic distributor in NW Minnesota since 2015. Dave is originally from the Boston area and moved to Thief River Falls, MN with his wife Becky and grown children; Brian, Connor and Kaylin in 2008. As part of the Crookston Diocese, he and his wife Becky became aware of the project to build a school in partnership within the Blantyre Diocese in Malawi and felt a calling to support this initiative to provide the means for a secondary education to 800 students, that would otherwise not be possible.
Fr. Francis Kamia Tambala serves as secretary to the Archbishop of Blantyre and as director of the social directorate of the Archdiocese of Blantyre and previously served as an investment and projects manager for the Archdiocese of Blantyre.
Bishop Pates was born of Donald and Lenora Pates, February 12,1943, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA.
After studying at the St. Paul Seminary and the Gregorian University in Rome while residing at the North American College, he was ordained to the priesthood on December 20, 1968, at St. Peter’s Basilica.
In the course of his ministry Bishop Pates served for six years as Priest Secretary of the Aposlolic Delegation (now Nunciature) in Washington, D.C. He then was Rector of St. John Vianney Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. During his time at the seminary, he served as Executive Secretary of the Papal Study of U.S. Seminaries mandated by Pope John Paul II. His term as Rector was followed by two pastorates at Our Lady of Peace Parish in Minneapolis and St. Ambrose of Woodbury in Woodbury, Minnesota.
On December 22,2000, Bishop Pates was appointed Auxiliary Bishop ofSt. Paul and Minneapolis by Pope John Paul II. Subsequently he was appointed Bishop of Des Moines, Iowa, by Pope Benedict XVI on April 10, 2008. During his tenure with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Pates served as Chairman of the International Justice and Peace Committee from 201 1-2014.
Following his retirement in October, 2019, Bishop Pates was appointed Apostolic Administrator, Diocese of Joliet, January 2020 to October 2020 utd Apostolic Administrator, Diocese of Crookston, April 13 to December 6, 2021 . Supported by the guidance of an executive committee, he is serving as ofa project co-chair to build a residential high school in the Archdiocese of Blantyre, Malawi, Central Africa for 800 students.
Eric Koranteng is a private Health Information Analyst (Certified Medical Coding Associate). Born in the West African country of Ghana on July 16, 1959, and the second of four siblings, Eric holds a BSc (Hons) in Land Economy from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana. Prior to immigrating to the United States, Eric held the position of Estate Manager with Southern Cross Mining Ltd, a gold mining company. After the collapse of the mining company, Eric formed his own construction company – EKF Construction, providing specialized services to other mining companies in Ghana.
Eric is married with two children. Outside of his private work life, Eric devotes much of his spare time to his Catholic faith at the parish and diocesan level. He has vast experience in church leadership and is well versed with global systems, and how education brings about change, especially in Africa. He holds a Certificate in Lay Leadership from the Institute for Lay Formation at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois. He is an active member of his parish, Our Lady of Peace Parish in Darien, Illinois where he has served as Chair of the Parish Pastoral Council of Our Lady of Peace Parish for 8 years. Currently, Eric is the Chair of the Development Committee of the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, and an Executive Member of the Diocesan Finance Council of the Diocese of Joliet.
Eric is a Melvin Jones Fellow (MJF) of the Lions Clubs International, with the Kumasi Royal Lions Club in Kumasi, Ghana as his mother club.
Eric loves reading and doing crossword puzzles. He is into jazz music and plays the drums. He is a sports enthusiast with his favorite sports being, soccer, basketball, table tennis, hockey, cricket and lately golf.
Rev. Fr. Dr. George Buleya S.T.D. (Alphonsiana/Lateran-Rome), S.T.L./M.A. (Alphonsiana/Lateran-Rome) directs the Social and Development Service arm of the Archdiocese of Blantyre comprising four commissions: Catholic Commission for Education, Catholic Health Commission, Catholic Development Commission and Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace. He is also Parish Priest for a rural Parish 30 kms out of Blantyre City: Nyungwe Catholic Parish.
A moral theologian trained by the Alphonsian Academy of the Lateran University in Rome, Rev. Dr. George is a distinguished scholar and a point of reference in the field of Ethics. He has vast demonstrated and acquired expertise and experience in education and administration. He has taught in humanities, Fundamental Christian Ethics including Climate Justice, Bioethics, Social Ethics and Social Teaching of the Church. From 2003 up to 2008, he was Rector and teacher at St Peters Major Seminary and from September 2008 to December, 2014, he served as the technical focal person (Secretary General) in the Secretariat of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Malawi known as the Episcopal Conference of Malawi thereby contributing immensely to the shaping of the pastoral and socio-development agenda of the Church for years to come. He took up the position of Vice Chancellor of the Catholic University of Malawi on 2nd May, 2015 and successfully led the university to greater heights in his tenure of service that ended on 2nd July, 2023.
Rev Dr. George Buleya is often called upon as a resource person in making presentations and drafting documents in the field of Catholic ethics. In Catholic circles, he is among the few Moral Theologian in Malawi recognized by the Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church – an international cross-cultural conference for Catholic Theological Ethicists which gathered together over 400 distinguished Moral theologians in 2006, 2010 and 2018. He was also amongst the key speakers at the “Leading Edge 2020″ Research Project organised by Trocaire and launched in Dublin in 2011. He was among 90 development professionals selected for a diversity of perspectives and positions about where development was going in the next ten years and what this meant for the future role of International Non-Governmental Organisations. He was also heavily involved in the Act Alliance faith/based Malawi delegation preparations and actual participation at the COP 17 Climate Change Conference in Durban from 28 November to 10 December, 2011 and COP 28 in Dubai in December 2023.
Peter’s background is in finance, and he currently leads the practice at Foresight Sports in San Diego. He graduated from Notre Dame in 2018, studying Economics & Mandarin, and St. Thomas Academy in 2014. He is a parishioner of St. Joseph Cathedral in San Diego. Incidentally and worthy of note is the fact that Peter was baptized by Bishop Richard E. Pates when Bishop Pates was then a Pastor. Bishop Pates is currently the co-chair of TTE. In his free time, Peter coaches and plays ice hockey and loves getting out on the golf course.