Christ centered.
Spirit led.
Relationally driven.

Mission Statement: Changing lives for Christ through compassionate care.

Vision: Develop Tanzania into a vibrant Christian community

Core Values: Christ, Compassion, Caring, Commitment, Change

STEMM is an inter-denominational Christian ministry.

STEMM was founded in 1996 and organized in 1997. The founders, Dr. Steve Meyer, Dana Meyer, Rev. Jon Gerdts, and Lazaro Nyalandu, led a group of 10 Siouxland residents on the first trip to Tanzania in 1997.

From that experience, Dr. Meyer and his wife at the time, Dana were inspired to find a means to provide ongoing assistance to the beautiful children of Tanzania. They also felt compelled to facilitate a means for others to experience this life-changing journey.

STEMM was specifically created to develop a relational bridge between Siouxland and Tanzania by addressing the priorities of spiritual growth, medical care, and educational opportunities. In building this relationship, the overwhelming AIDS orphan crisis was one of the challenges brought to our attention — and today, the orphanage is an integral part of the STEMM ministry. Other issues we have moved to address in our history include: the lack of funding for school for many of the brightest students in Tanzania—to date, STEMM has provided scholarships to over 20,000 Tanzanian children; the fact that food insecurity was keeping many students from attending school— to date, STEMM has helped provide hot lunches to over 5,000 school children per day for almost 10 years; the absence of adequate health care in many parts of Tanzania— to date, STEMM has brought over 1000 Americans to Tanzania— many to participate in our medical outreaches; the lack of adequate drinking water and access to latrines, especially in our schools— we help to meet this need (and many others) almost every year. God has acted through STEMM in mighty ways to relieve suffering, provide opportunities, and draw people to Himself.

Since inception, STEMM groups have traveled to Tanzania on a semi-annual basis – January and July each year. As the demand grows, so do the number of trips. It is through these “hands-on” mission trips that many Christians from all denominations and all walks of life have experienced life change and renewal in their own personal spiritual journey. If you are interested in tripping to Tanzania with us, we typically run Medical / humanitarian missions in both January and July. Reach out to trips@stemm.org for details on upcoming trips.