Healthcare
MDF is on a mission to provide affordable, quality healthcare in Tanzania through strategic partnerships, targeted programs, and data-driven mapping.
Our Work in Health Care
MDF is on a mission to provide affordable, quality healthcare in Tanzania through strategic partnerships, Targetted programs, and data-driven mapping.
More than just an eye camp
Our Work in Health
The Mo Dewji Foundation delivers healthcare where it’s needed most, guided by data and driven by dignity.
What began as a sight-restoring mission has evolved into a multi-specialty healthcare model grounded in listening to the communities we serve. With nearly 60% of eye camp participants being women, we’ve expanded our services to include targeted gynecological care, addressing critical gaps in women’s health.
By keeping an ear on the ground and using data to make smarter, more informed decisions, we focus on some of Tanzania’s most urgent and under-addressed health challenges -from vision loss and childhood cancer to neural tube defects and reproductive health. Through a combination of mobile outreach, early detection, and surgical intervention, we’ve brought care to communities often left outside the formal health system.
This integrated, data-powered approach allows us to unify our services across specialties, improving access, increasing efficiency, and deepening impact nationwide, transforming “eye camps” into comprehensive healthcare hubs delivering life-changing outcomes.
SOME OF OUR WORK IN HEALTHCARE
A Journey of Sight: Eye Camp in Korogwe, Tanga
On the 27th of May 2024, the Mo Dewji Foundation (MDF) in collaboration with the Local Government Authority (LGA) of the Korogwe Town Council and Magunga City Hospital, conducted a 3-day comprehensive eye camp in Korogwe, Tanga. This initiative aimed to address the basic and advanced eye care needs for the most under-served.
Over the 3-day camp ...
- A total of 4,797 people were screened for various eye conditions.
- The dedicated medical team conducted 358 surgeries.
- Distributed 3,026 eye drops
- Provided 2,306 pairs of reading glasses.
MORE FROM OUR WORK
An Integrated Approach
Spina bifida is a congenital charaterized by the incomplete closure of the spinal cord during fetal development. In Tanzania, over 7,500 cases of spina bifida and hydrocephalus are reported every year, with staggering 60% of affected children losing their lives due to inadequate care and treatment. Many families struggle to access medical services due to financial constraints, lack of awareness, limited health care systems in remote areas and archaic societal practices and discrimination faced within communities.
The Mo Dewji Foundation is working closely with the Ministry of Health and partnered with the Muhimbili Orthopedic Institute (MOI) and Association of Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (ASBAHT) to combat this, and is working daily to:
Eye Care
Restoring Sight. Restoring Hope.
Cancer Care
Expanding Access. Saving Lives.
Neural Tube Defects
Preventing Disability. Saving Futures.
Did you know?
Kabla ya kambi ya macho, sikuweza kuona sura ya mjukuu wangu mdogo. Nilikuwa nimekaa ndani kwa miaka, nikihisi kama nimeachwa nyuma na dunia. Baada ya upasuaji, macho yangu yalifunguka -nililia kwa furaha nilipomuona kwa mara ya kwanza. Sasa ninaamka mapema kila siku, nakwenda msikitini, na maisha yangu yamerudi mikononi mwangu.
Before the eye camp, I couldn’t see the face of my youngest grandchild. I had been stuck indoors for years, feeling left behind by the world. After surgery, my eyes opened—I cried with joy when I saw him for the first time. Now I wake up early, go to the mosque, and feel like life is back in my hands.
Mzee Juma, 70
Macho yangu yalikuwa yameharibika kwa miaka mitatu. Nilikuwa naona aibu kwenda sokoni kwa sababu nilikuwa nikianguka mara kwa mara. Leo, ninaweza kuuza dagaa wangu tena bila msaada. Mo Dewji Foundation imenirejeshea heshima yangu.
My eyesight had been deteriorating for three years. I was ashamed to go to the market because I kept falling. Today, I’m back to selling my sardines on my own. The Mo Dewji Foundation gave me back my dignity.
Mama Rehema, 58
Nilidhani maisha yangu ya shule yameisha. Sikuwahi kuona ubao darasani, na nilikuwa na ndoto ya kuwa mwalimu. Baada ya kupata miwani na matibabu, sasa naona vizuri. Nimepata nafasi ya pili ya kufuatilia ndoto zangu.
I thought my school life was over. I could never see the blackboard, and I dreamed of becoming a teacher. After receiving glasses and treatment, I can now see clearly. I’ve been given a second chance to follow my dreams.
Amina, 17
“The collaboration with the Mo Dewji Foundation has been instrumental in executing this eye camp. Their support and resources have allowed us to deliver high-quality eye care to thousands of people over these three days.”
Sofia Mnapunda
Explore the Patient Experience at an MDF Eye Camp
This is one of the most unique scholarship program designed for young ambitious, hard working students pursuing undergraduate degrees with higher education institutions in Tanzania.
We have a unique Learner’s Journey model which is tailor made for the student and shaping their career pathway after graduation. This learner’s journey bridges the gap between academic and the market realities ensuring the smoothest transition after you graduate into a life with meaning, a value-system and self-growth.
The selection process is highly competitive and based on academic merit, financial need, leadership potential, and commitment to community service. Applicants go through a rigorous screening process, which may include written applications, interviews, and reference checks.
The Mo Scholars program supports any field of study.
Applications are submitted online during the annual application window, which is announced on the Mo Dewji Foundation’s website and social media platforms.
Yes. Scholars are expected to give back to their communities through volunteer work, mentorship, or other service activities during and after their studies.
Yes, students already enrolled may apply if they meet the program’s eligibility criteria and are studying at a partner institution.
Yes, scholarships are renewable for the duration of the student’s program, provided they maintain satisfactory academic performance and fulfill the foundation’s engagement requirements.
Currently, the program focuses on Tanzanian students only.
Spotlight
Hear from an Eye Camp Patient
Eye diseases are among the top 10 health conditions afflicting the people of Tanzania. In response to this crisis, MDF founded an on-the-ground, mobile eye camp that offers free cataract screening and surgery, free reading glasses, medication, and other related procedures. MDF is also building community health profiles in each location they serve and is working with the Ministry of Health to leverage its statistical data and analyses to shape Tanzania’s national health policy.
Nueral Tube Defects
Treatment and Early Detection
Each year, over 7,500 children in Tanzania are born with neural tube defects – yet fewer than 25% receive care, and more than half do not survive past age three. MDF is changing that. In 2024, we funded 51 life-saving surgeries, advanced neurosurgical training, and launched advocacy efforts for inclusive care. In 2025, we’ve expanded to prevention and early detection -introducing neonatal screenings and maternal nutrition programs through our mobile health camps to give every child a chance to survive and thrive.
MORE FROM OUR WORK
Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus Support
Spina bifida is a congenital charaterized by the incomplete closure of the spinal cord during fetal development. In Tanzania, over 7,500 cases of spina bifida and hydrocephalus are reported every year, with staggering 60% of affected children losing their lives due to inadequate care and treatment. Many families struggle to access medical services due to financial constraints, lack of awareness, limited health care systems in remote areas and archaic societal practices and discrimination faced within communities.
The Mo Dewji Foundation is working closely with the Ministry of Health and partnered with the Muhimbili Orthopedic Institute (MOI) and Association of Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (ASBAHT) to combat this, and is working daily to:
Raise Awareness
MDF is working to educate communities about spina bifida’s causes, symptoms, and treatment options, as they seek to reduce stigma and promote early interverntion.
Fund Medical Treatments
The foundation provides financial assistance for prenatal screenings, surgical procedures, and postoperative care, ensuring that individuals with spina bifida receive the necessary medical support.
Advocate for Healthcare Access
By collaborating with healthcare institutions and policymakers, the foundation advocates for improved access to prenatal care, diagnostic services, and rehabilitation programs for individuals with spina bifida.
Support Comprehensive Care
The foundation recognizes the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to spina bifida treatment, encompassing medical, surgical, rehabilitative, and psychosocial interverntion
I never thought my child will ever get treated because I cannot afford the high costs of the surgery. I am beyond grateful to the Mo Dewji Foundation for care they have shown us – May God bless you all.
Neema Daniel
For the first time my baby boy called me ‘Mama’ I am crying tears of joy – I cannot repay Mo Dewji for what he has done for me. May God bless him in abundance.
Neema Daniel
When my relatives heard I gave birth to a child with a large head they broke ties and isolated me. I had nowhere to go – and then God sent Mo Dewji. I am at a loss for words. Mohammed – you saved me and my son.
Jackline Ramadhan
PARTNERSHIPS
Tumaini La Maisha (TLM)
Tumaini La Maisha (TLM) is the largest Childhood Cancer Center in East Africa and has been a recipient of MDF support and funding for more than 13 years. In 2013, the survival rate for a child with cancer in Tanzania was 1 in 10. Today, the survival rate has increased sixfold thanks, in part, to MDF’s partnership.
In 2021, TLM officially began the National Children’s Cancer Network (NCCN) with the goal of opening 34 centers across the country. Their aim is for no child to be more than a 4-hour journey from being able to receive cancer treatment care. Thanks to the support of the Mo Dewji Foundation, TLM has been able to implement a comprehensive support system for children requiring cancer treatments at Muhimbili National Hospital and their partner centers, including covering the cost of drugs and diagnostic tools.
From treating children in 1 small room in 2013 to today supporting families across the country via more than 14 dedicated healthcare centers, TLM’s mission to support Tanzanian families impacted by childhood cancer is more impactful than ever.
MORE FROM OUR WORK
Building Community Resilience through health and wellness
Frequently Asked Questions
No, Tumaini la Maisha is an independent organization that the Mo Dewji Foundation supports.
We encourage support from both individuals and organizations collectively.
Our ultimate goal is to provide holistic mobile health care services to communities that have limited or no access to health care services in rural areas. This would be in partnership with the Ministry of Health by extending its services primarily at regional referral centers to all the districts and all the wards in each region of the country.
Yes, we would be excited to receive innovative initiatives and discuss how best we can better serve the underprivileged communities in Tanzania.
Generally we look at past evidence of impact, scale of reach in terms of people, and cost efficiency.