January 2025
We paid for our own trips – Batro and Macha of Child Surgeries Tanzania booked all the necessaries – accom, car etc.
Day 1 Melbourne to Tanzania
This is my seventh trip to Tanzania and I always fly Qatar into Doha and then Kilimanjaro and never had an issue, except as I get older I am finding economy more of a challenge.
Goals of Trip
1. Review Children - we reviewed 70
2. See if opening a bigger local network is possible to reduce travel trauma, cost and time away from parents, school and social networks
3. Therefore check out major hospitals in Babati, Singida, Tabora and Kigoma
4. Build on network of local ambassadors or community health advisors to make health more visible in the villages and make our processes more responsive and transparent
5. Say thank you to staff and friends in Tanzania for 1000 child surgeries completed
6. Deal face to face with an unhappy village over the rehab corruption issue
7. Open new childrens wing built at Selian
8. Provide training to Selian staff on Investing
9. Spend some time with our new CEO and see our new head office at Kasulu
10. Open up a new "tourist" route for donors who want the trip of a lifetime and contracting with locals to book our trip for future business
11. See ways as to how smart contracts and possibly cryptocurrencies may work
12. Look at an App design for children network
We wanted to see if we what we have been doing feels right, can be done a better way and have some fun
Day 2 - Kilimanjaro to Babati
So lucky to be accompanied by Austern who I met doing a Masters in Blockchain at RMIT and Richard, a builder and mate of near on 50 years. Great team!
Day 2 - Kilimanjaro to Babati
We went to Babati to see Zilper who was an organisation we used to do a lot of work with and still sponsor children who need club feet and bow leg operations. Whilst there we visited Manyara Regional Referral Hospital and met Dr Mwijage and assistant Sakina – we were introduced by Doctor Ludovic who checks out our children for general health weekly at the Zilper centre. We plan to begin basic surgeries in February at Babati, not connected with Zilper.
One of our jobs is to say thank you and to treat workers we are connected with. The most enjoyable part of the evening is when each person stands up and says a little bit about themselves. It was a fun evening and I always love staying at and eating the food at Asmorein – one of my favourite hotels in the world.
Its always powerful seeing how children who have been operated on are going and where they live. This is such a powerful picture of care and “family” with Amina and her parents. She has her own room and is truly loved. Her parents were concerned about another operation will take her away from school – a legitimate concern. As well with so little they have created a truly beautiful home. Great effort.
Said does it tough – he has had two operations on bow legs – and because they were later in his life they have not exactly worked – better but not perfect. When we caught up with him, he was like any teenager, loath to talk to me.
I asked was he going to school – he said no. I said why not.
He had gone to school for a while but with the operations had dropped out. It was all too hard.
Its hard to be critical of him – his bedroom was the cooking room – full or smoke and a dirt floor and he slept in smoke on dirt — his blanket was a rice bag.
We asked him to go to school and we would refund his costs – his parents agreed – this was him last week on his first day. Lets see
Richard and Austern went to Tarangire National Park 70 km away
Akram had an ear issue
Day 5 - Babati to Sanza to Singida
Marian
In 2022 Marian was found via our outreach program. She had a tumour growing inside her. Today Marian is growing into a beautiful young lady at Sanza.
We had come to see Marian and we were beautifully ambushed by the local ambassador: the 1/2 hour trip turned into an 8 hours round driving trip plus we met 5 other children we had helped and of course a number of new prospective clients.
It was so good, so emotional to see Marian. Its why you do what you do. Thank you to everyone from her Dad to Dr Eli to Letion who made this all work.
Day 6 - Singida to Tabora
After as pretty negative day at Singida both in making progress with hospitals (we were not even allowed to see them) and the hotel (Jalnimi was disgusting) it was good to get onto Tabora and see a great hospital with all the modern equipment. Our plan after reference checks etc is to begin using them before Easter.
Malolo Hosptial we met Doctor – DANIEL MWAKIBIBI
HOTEL was really good. RUNGWE VILLAGE HOTEL – TABORA.
Day 7 - Tabora to Kigoma
We met Yusuph and his family on the side of the road for their review
Kudra
How do we assess when not qualified
When reviewing all children we would much prefer them to be reviewed by a doctor – but due to the tyranny of distance, time and money that has not been happening. So we follow a 3 step test
- How does his or her general health appear.
- Looking at the specific problem does it on the whole seem to be been solved
- What does Mum and Dad think. They are asked in Swahili and pushed a little to see if they have any issues.
Day 8 - Kigoma
A hard earned thirst needs a big cold beer and the best cold beer is Kilimajaro. Kilimanjaro Lager. You’ve earned it!
Dr. Stanley Binagi Medical officer in charge of Maweni is a real goer and we were so happy to meet him and got a great tour through the hospital. It appears to be everything we have hoped for, so as we can stop sending children across the country except in specialist circumstances. They appear to have everything we need and prosthetics as well which is a real ongoing issue. After checks we imagine to start in February with reviews of children who we simply cannot justify a few months away from home for a check up in Arusha.
We turned out a hospital and into what had the makings of a riot and when you are the only white guy in town – it has some concerns. It was over quickly and efficiently when the police turned up. But that first BOOM from a tear gas canister that landed a few metres away makes you recalibrate for a short time. And what was Richard and Austern doing – well they were checking out the chimps at the Jane Goodall facility – some way away by boat and completely oblivious to it all. Great day!
Day 9 - Kigoma to Kasulu
A couple of the best days of the trip eating Grace’s wonderful cooking and enjoying Batro and Grace’s hospitality. The hotel was also good and the children who have been helped plentiful.
Additional Option
Kasulu to Rusumo
Rusumo to Gorillas Rwanda
Rusumo to Mwenza
Mwenza to Masai Mara
Masai Mara
Masai Mara to Serengeti
Day 10 - Kasulu
Kastus clothes catching on fire - was not contacted till months afterwards
Javan
Javan is a favourite and his condition not so straightforward. We suggested Javan should go to school and next week so he did. Lets hope it lasts.
Mvugwe
This town was a conundrum. Overall very happy with Child Surgeries Tanzania. But they were systematically scammed by a trusted co-worker to the tune of around $100 AUD each x 50 and there were many others.
It something I was warned of, but didn’t see it coming. I have since paid $5000USD into a fund that is now being distributed via phones to all we know were ripped off.
Shit happens – but it shouldn’t have – my fault.
Nonetheless we got a warm welcome when I was apologising and the large majority of children’s parents were happy with the surgeries – so all seemed forgiven – we have around 6 more extensive child reviews planned now with Kigoma hospital.
On the upside we did learn that maybe a small charge could be made by the hospital and Kigoma has in place a protocol for that.
But we had said free and felt we should remain that way.
Switbert Switbert
Great name, great result. Happy customers and if you get them early the chances of success are far greater.
Day 11 - Kasulu to Kahama
Meeting Ambassadors along the way. They and surgeons are becoming a centre point of Child Surgeries Tanzania going forward.
Day 12 - Kahama to Babati rest and Day 13 Babati to Arusha
What do you need to survive the road trip
Day 14-15 in Arusha
Opening New Childrens Wing
Attending Arusha Rotary Meeting to talk about Child Surgeries Tanzania
Two housemothers Caroline and Elizabeth we have employed for years for children
Meeting sponsored med student Ibrahim. School of St Judes run by Aussie Gemma Sisia
Inside the Cultural Centre Arusha
2 day lecture series on how Selian Hospital Staff can make more money. Download below
Lobikieki
We visited his home in 2023
He came to meet us in 2025 - still looking for a school and sponsor for him
Day 16 - Arusha to Karatu
Day 17,18 and 19 - Karatu, Ngorongoro, Ndutu, Serengeti & Arusha
Day 20 - Kilimanjaro to Doha to Melbourne
Outcomes of Trip
1. From a review point of view - we feel comfortable that the medical competency is there with 59 of the 70 children reviewed being good - meaning 3 criteria have been met:
• Good health of child
• Noticeable improvement in disability
• Happy parents
We are following up the other 11.
2. We have the makings of a network across Tanzania with a focus on regional hospitals qualified to carry out the necessary surgeries and a web of ambassadors embedded in their local communities providing the two way communications needed to make overall child surgeries successful.
3. Our CEO - Batro and Board of CST are doing a good job and I suggest their major focus moves to meeting our goals slightly differently from the last 6 years. Batro will have a key role in maintaining the hospital and ambassadorial contacts and quality.
4. Our 3 goals remain:
• More and better child surgeries
• More and better incentives for those directly involved
• More sustainable hospital network.
This now feels best to be done by a focus on training and payments on Ambassadors or Community health Workers and direct payments with a bonus for quality to hospitals and doctors who do the surgeries
5. It was suggested in the 2015 Global Surgeries Summit that there were 44 operations level 1, 2 and 3 hospitals should be able to co-ordinate. Perhaps we need to cut down to a lesser number of surgeries where we have a high probability of known outcome, cost and time.
6. Child surgeries should have the following:
• Focus on LOCAL for find, do, review.
• Financially support only direct intervention - getting to hospital, doing surgery, rehab, getting home and review
• Add in information for villages, medicos and hospitals about early intervention (better child surgery outcomes), earning and investing (staff incentives), connecting to major donors/government (hospital sustainability)
7. Build Local Ambassadors - could/should operate like a Tupperware scheme or other schemes like Living Goods - local, local fix, local rehab and review. Reward Surgeon Quality.
8. Ultimately for it to grow it will need government assistance. We need to keep one eye on the hospitals sustainability, one eye on encouraging and rewarding doctor quality and one eye on building a network of quality
Outcomes
Overall Network - focus opening up Kigoma, Tabora, Nzega, Babati & Arusha
Proof of Care App - 1) Google Sheets now 2) Build APP 3) then Blockchain
New Mantras for 2025
1. More and Better Child Surgeries: Build Local, Early and Fast Ambassadors.
2. Incentives for staff: Assist Doctors, Ambassadors to make money by investing.
3. Sustainable: Focus on cost effective efficient network with only direct payments for child connected surgery activities AND look to build sustainability
