Preventing Disability. Saving Futures.
Transforming care for spina bifida and hydrocephalus through prevention, early detection, and access to life-saving treatment.
The Challenge
Every year in Tanzania, more than 7,500 children are born with spina bifida or hydrocephalus. For many, the odds are stacked against survival:
- 60% die before age five.
- Only 15% ever receive medical care.
Stigma, limited awareness, and lack of timely diagnosis leave thousands without the support they need. But with the right intervention, most of these conditions are treatable, and preventable.
Our Integrated Approach
early detection and prevention
MDF is redefining care by bringing early detection and prevention into our integrated healthcare camps:
- Curative Care: In just six months, 75 early detections and 80+ hydrocephalus cases were referred across 10 camps. Our surgical sponsorship programs ensure that cost is never a barrier.
- Preventive Care: More than 670 healthcare professionals trained, plus widespread community awareness campaigns on folate-rich diets and parental counseling.
By embedding NTD screening and referrals into existing healthcare services, MDF reaches families where they are — ensuring no child is left behind.
Building a National Prevention Strategy
MDF’s plan goes beyond treatment, tackling the root causes:
- Food Fortification: Adding folic acid to flour and oils to reduce risk.
- Nutrition & Food Security: Promoting folate-rich crops and community food gardens.
- Maternal Health Education: Empowering women with the knowledge and supplements needed for healthy pregnancies.
- Micronutrient Supplementation: Ensuring every pregnant woman has access to MMS for optimal prenatal health.
Building Trust Through Access
Our Vision for 2030
A Tanzania where:
- No child dies from a preventable birth defect.
- Every mother has the tools, nutrition, and care to ensure a safe pregnancy.
- Communities are informed, empowered, and equipped to break the cycle of preventable disability.
Together, we’re changing the trajectory of thousands of lives — creating lasting impact through prevention, treatment, and education.
Join us in Saving Futures
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.