Transforming childhood, together.

Kafika House is a high-love, low-cost rehabilitative surgery programme in Northern Tanzania.

Previously known as The Plaster House, we began in 2008, providing a loving home for children receiving pre and post-operative care and rehabilitation for a surgically correctable disability.

The conditions we treat are cleft lip and palate, clubfoot, skeletal fluorosis, burn scar contractures, masses, and osteomyelitis.

Powered by generosity

Our work is entirely donor-funded, and everything we do is made possible by generosity.

We extend that to the families we serve, by never allowing finances to be a barrier to treatment. We ask parents to pay what they can: this often only covers a fraction of the cost, but it makes all the difference by giving them ownership of their child’s recovery.

We cover the rest using funds we’ve raised.

Our vision

No child in Tanzania lives with a treatable disability.

Our mission

We make holistic and transformative healthcare accessible to children living with a treatable disability in Tanzania.

The Kafika House difference

Kafika House is everything a home should be: a warm, safe space filled with care and comfort.

For the first time in many of our children’s lives, they are surrounded by other children like them and adults who show no judgement.

Play and childhood form the foundation of our healing journey, and our take on health puts emotional wellbeing on par with physical recovery.

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View fullsize We talk a lot about transforming childhood. A big part of that is helping children step into the healthy, happy futures they deserve - but the other part is creating the conditions in which they get to simply be a child, often for the first time in t
View fullsize When our Outreach Team visit remote communities, they assess hundreds of children living with disabilities. Between July and September, they screened 634. Of those, only 210 fit into our scope of care – but we provided referrals to the other
View fullsize Burns can cause more than just physical injury – they can also lead to burn scar contractures, where scar tissue tightens over time, limiting movement and causing pain. Children living with burn scar contractures face physical challenges, but
View fullsize True healing begins with acceptance and understanding. On International Day of Tolerance, we’re celebrating the importance of embracing differences, especially when it comes to children living with disabilities. Every day, we witness the power
View fullsize Calling all Arusha friends! Get into the Christmas spirit with Schwari’s Charity Gala and Night Market on 29th November, and support some excellent local causes - including Kafika House. A silent auction, early fair shopping, fireworks, DJ...
View fullsize Skeletal fluorosis affects many children in northern Tanzania, where the level of naturally occurring fluoride in the groundwater is dangerously high. Over time, the condition can cause stiffness, pain, and bowing of the limbs. Luckily, we can corr
View fullsize It’s World Kindness Day! Love and kindness are as important to a child’s healing journey as the medical care we give - and that’s where our House Mamas come in. These huge-hearted women are there for our children in the way a moth
View fullsize 15% of the clubfoot patients we treated between July and September didn’t require surgery. We used non-surgical interventions for these children, including manipulation and casting using the Ponseti Method. It’s amazing what can be achi

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