ABOUT THE DESTINY INSTITUTE* An organization under the Empowerment Church in Chattanooga.* The training is based on the principle that God created everyone to be a leader.* Dr. David Banks seeks leaders in eight areas, including education, ministry, entrepreneurship and family to discuss ideas of how to make an impact in their community.* There are institutes in Trinidad and Tobago, India and Tanzania, and by fall, in Europe.Source: Dr. David Banks, founder of Destiny Institute
Joseph Nyambwe knows the importance of being a good leader, so to learn how to be one, he decided to spend some time in Chattanooga.
"When we have good leaders, I think it could make the country to prosper and the people to reduce more dependence on others, even in ideas," said the Tanzania native, who is in the Scenic City for the second time.
Mr. Nyambwe is one of about 500 people since 2007 who have received leadership training from Dr. David Banks, founder of the Destiny Institute.
"The sole purpose of the (organization) is to equip leaders to make an impact in their nation," said Dr. Banks, counselor and pastor of the Empowerment Church in Chattanooga.
"I started here in the U.S. because I really wanted to help leaders understand the importance of leadership skills and taking those skills and make an impact," he said.
His program has expanded to Trinidad and Tobago, India and Africa, he said.
Last year, Dr. Banks learned about Mr. Nyambwe, who runs an orphanage in Tanzania with his wife, Pendo. Since then, he has worked with Mr. Nyambwe to start an institute in Africa.
Dr. Bank's training is focused on the idea that God created everyone to be leaders.
"I felt and saw the need not to go to other countries and take over, but .... to go to a country to develop partnerships with people in that country and to equip them," he said.
During his trips, he contacts leaders in different areas, including education, medicine and ministry.
"The first thing is to help them understand they are leaders and that leaders have influence," he said.
Mr. Nyambwe wants to spend several months in Chattanooga to learn the principles taught by Dr. Banks, help support the orphanage and hopefully go back and train leaders in their native language, Swahili.
"From the training we are receiving, I've seen that even our country, if we have good leaders, we can learn how to manage it," he said.
"Africa has everything -- diamonds, (natural resources) -- but because we don't have good leadership, nothing good happens," he said. "If we have good leadership to manage us, to manage our resources, we can learn how to become productive for future generations."