Dorkas came to live at Ujamaa Children's Home in July 2017. Before she became a part of our Ujamaa Family, she had several surgeries to treat a congenital condition, all of which were ultimately unsuccessful. Dorkas is 13 years old and enjoys playing sports, singing and drawing. She is a kind soul who is always smiling and while she is able to live a fairly normal life, despite her condition, we want to give her the best possible outcome and a chance to do all the things she dreams of.

In late 2018, a supporter came to visit us and set out to find Dorkas a medical option outside of Tanzania. Incredibly, she not only found Dorkas a free of charge surgical opportunity in Columbus, Ohio - it is with one of the foremost surgeons in this field. Amazing!

Less than a year later the wheels were in motion to get Dorkas to America....then Covid-19 happened. Travel around the world came to standstill. The US Embassy in Tanzania closed for a significant period of time and after that were only processing certain visa types. But now the time has come and we finally have a medical visa which allows Dorkas to travel for this life changing surgery.

We are so grateful for this opportunity but we need your help! The surgery and associated medical costs are all free and we have an incredible family willing to host Dorkas in their home while she is there (potentially 3-6 months) but there are still expenses that need to be paid. Return flights from Tanzania for Dorkas and our Founder, Carley, who will escort her and stay with her during the initial treatment phase. Accommodation in Columbus and transport to and from the hospital, as well as food and general living expenses for the duration of her stay in America. Until they see Dorkas in person, the medical team cannot be completely sure of which procedures will be most effective and what the recuperation time will be - so we are getting prepared!

Please give anything you can to help us reach our goal and give Dorkas this amazing opportunity.