The District Commissioner of Meatu, Fauzia Ngatumbura, has seen off 36 children from 16 villages surrounding the Maswa Game Reserve as they travel to Arusha for corrective surgeries for clubfoot, bow legs, and cleft lip and palate.
The surgeries are fully funded by Mwiba Holdings Ltd, a tourism company and subsidiary of Fredkin Conservation Fund (FCF).
Mwiba Holdings, which has invested in tourism in Meatu District, arranged transportation for the children to Kafika House in Arusha, a center renowned for specialized medical care.
During the farewell, DC Ngatumbura praised Mwiba Holdings for supporting the children and urged parents to stop hiding children with disabilities or associating disability with superstition.
“Today, 36 children are going for treatment in the first phase among 53 identified. Last year, 28 children underwent surgery and have fully recovered. We commend these investors for their support and hope they will continue helping the community,” she said.
The DC highlighted that such initiatives are crucial, as most parents cannot afford the costly treatments. She also encouraged Mwiba Holdings to expand services beyond the 16 villages to reach more children across the district.
Sylvester Bwasama, Project Manager at Mwiba Holdings, said that last year, 63 children were identified as needing surgery, with 28 treated.
This year, community mobilization led to 131 children being identified: 53 will undergo surgery, 51 need physiotherapy, and 27 will be monitored for one year before treatment.
“The first 36 children will have surgery now, and the remaining 17 will undergo treatment in the next phase. Our aim is to ensure every child receives care and recovers fully,” Bwasama said, adding that the initiative is part of the company’s corporate social responsibility funded through tourism and conservation revenues.
Community Development Officer Bonji Bugeni praised the initiative, noting it provides relief to parents and allows them to focus on livelihoods while their children receive treatment.
Parents expressed gratitude for the support. Neema Daniel from Makao Village said she could not afford her child’s treatment before and now hopes her child will recover and attend school like other children.
Timotheo Ngassa of Sapa Village shared that his child, Emmanuel, who had surgery last year, now walks normally and urged the expansion of services to the entire district.
Mwiba Holdings has also invested in local tourism and community development, including building health centers, teacher housing, wildlife protection posts, and providing school meals.