Stepping into our future
Somehow, it’s nearly November and we’re closing in on the end of another year. In the midst of the 2025 planning we’ve been busy with, I realised that 2023 was all about drive: expansion, achievement, growth, newness… This year, by contrast, has been all about systems. We’ve been setting up the organisational architecture that will secure our long-term sustainability, and I have great faith in the promise that our future holds.
Sometimes though, growth takes pruning; working toward optimal efficiency has meant streamlining our organisational diagram. While we have welcomed some new people to our team, others who have walked with us are ending their journey here. I am - and always will be - so grateful to everyone who has lent heart, soul, energy and love to making Kafika House what it is.
Kafika House Moshi temporarily closes
Treating children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus necessitates a unique model of care that involves much more time, energy and input than our other facilities, and we have learned so much from Moshi.
Our partnership with Kilimanjaro Christian Medical College has really flourished and we have begun to explore ways we could collaborate even more closely, and with more profound impact.
With this promise of something greater on the horizon, we decided to allow this version of our Moshi home to give way to what is to come. We have so much to bring to the next iteration of our dedicated commitment to these children… Watch this space.
Meet Dr Kimaro
During his residency at Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre, Dr Kimaro would always volunteer with the One World Medical Relief clinics, scrubbing in with the team as they treated Kafika House patients for cleft lips and palates.
Even after Dr Kimaro graduated and got a job at Selian Lutheran Hospital, he continued to volunteer, learning and building his skills.
This year, he felt ready to go solo. He began cleft lip repairs independently, and has treated 12 of our children so far.
We are incredibly proud, and so excited that our cleft patients can access treatment without waiting for a visiting surgeon - our dream of helping to build the skills of our talented local healthcare professionals is coming true.
Australian Immersion Trip
Recently, a group of 13 Aussie friends came on a Kafika House safari.
We called it the ‘senior’ immersion trip only because our usual itineraries are aimed at teens and their parents - but this bunch came with such joyful energy that they’d have given any youngster a run for their money.
They danced, played with the children, visited the Maasai, hiked Kilimanjaro’s Shira Plateau, learned the art of drumming, and went on an epic Tarangire and Serengeti safari. It was widely described as the trip of a lifetime, and we’re all still feeling the afterglow.
If you fancy the idea of grabbing a bunch of your besties and adding some purpose to a Tanzanian adventure, get in touch - we’ve got all the ingredients for an unforgettable holiday that’ll make a world of difference to our children too.
Putting the ‘fun’ in fundraiser
We held a cocktail party fundraiser last month, and I was so moved by the support we received.
The love in our Arusha community knows no bounds, and it meant the world that so many wonderful people came out to cheer us on.
Hazel and the Arusha Coffee Lodge team put on an incredible show with their venue and hosting, and the generosity of those who donated silent auction prizes just blew us away. Thank you all for making it a night to remember - and for making high-love care possible for so many more children.
Pulling power
Our Outreach team has been travelling far and wide, spreading the word about the disabilities we treat. On each trip, they screen hundreds of children, identifying those we can help.
We always hope that they will make the journey to Kafika House to access the healthy, happy future we can offer them. The great news is that so many do - especially with a little help from our friends.
The best conversion rate from outreach to treatment is among those from the remote Katavi and Kigoma areas. These regions are over 1,000km from Arusha, but our partners Nomad Tanzania bring the children to us - just one of the many ways they support our work.
As we see patients coming in from all corners of the country, it makes me so proud to know we’re that much closer to our vision: that no child in Tanzania lives with a treatable disability.
None of this would be possible without your support, and it means the world to know that so many wonderful people all over the world believe in our mission as much as we do. For that, I can’t thank you enough.
With love,
Sarah