Tarime district has 465,000 people in it. Care for Africa brings Australian specialists to work alongside Tanzanian clinicians there, treating children who have never seen a specialist and building toward a surgical program the district has never had.
In May 2025, four Australian specialists worked in Tarime.
Paediatricians Dr Jade Woon and Dr Yoko Asakawa saw more than 100 children. For most of them it was the first time they had been seen by a specialist of any kind.
Surgeons Dr James Roberts-Thompson and Dr Jurstine Daruwalla spent the visit laying the groundwork for a surgical program. Not operating on a list, but working out what Tarime would need for surgery to be possible there at all.
Jade and Yoko return in October 2026. Jurstine and James are planning to return in April 2027.
A paediatrician or a surgeon is a district-level resource, not a village one. One of them working across Tarime reaches further than the same person working in one place, and the people they work alongside are Tanzanian clinicians who are there every day of the year.
That is the point of it. The visits are short. What they leave behind is not.
For most of a decade, Care for Africa ran health clinics in the rural schools of Tarime. Australian volunteer nurses and doctors worked through a school at a time, testing and treating children who had no other access to care.
In the final year, 2019, the clinics saw 5,222 children. Malaria testing that year returned 974 positives from 1,908 students tested. Children were treated for intestinal worms and parasitic infection in numbers that told us more about the water than about the children.
Those clinics are how Care for Africa learned what Tarime actually needed, and it is why the water program came first afterwards.
Raphael was born with bilateral leg talipes. He has had surgery, and he has worn callipers for most of his life.
He has new crutches and reinforced callipers now, and he is walking upright. He is about to start the final two years of school at a government-selected special school near Dar es Salaam, twenty four hours by bus from Tarime. He wants to be an English teacher.
Abdallah Obedi made that 27 hour bus journey with him for the fitting, and gave up his Christmas Day to get Raphael in front of the specialists in time.
Diana Butler OAM, Chief Executive Officer and Founder
Dr Jade Woon, Health Co-Coordinator
Dr Yoko Asakawa, Health Co-Coordinator
Abdallah Obedi, Country Manager
Phales Yohana Buluma, Nurse Practitioner & Rural Health Clinic Coordinator
Charity donations of $2 or more to Care for Africa are tax-deductible in Australia.
Our aim is to empower communities for sustainable access to health care.
We are proud to work with our Tarime counterparts, sharing resources and knowledge, and building capacity to establish mentorship for Tarime Health Professionals.
Dr Selena Saykao – Director
Diana Butler OAM – CEO
Abdallah Obedi – Country Manager
Phales Yohana Buluma – Clinic Leader
Our health programs also reached new milestones. Paediatricians Dr Jade Woon and Dr Yoko Asakawa treated more than 100 children—many receiving specialists care for the first time. Surgeons Dr James Roberts-Thompson and Dr Jurstine Daruwalla laid the foundations for a future surgical program in a district of 700,000 people without ever had a surgeon in the area.
Ghati’s story is a testament to the powerful impact of the partnership between Care for Africa and Physiotas. Witnessing Ghati during my visit in October last year was an incredibly emotional experience. I’ve known Ghati for seven years, and her transformation is truly inspiring.
As you know, when we first met, her feet faced backwards, making walking a significant challenge. Living in a remote village in a mud hut, eight kilometres from school, presented immense obstacles.
Thanks to your generous support, we were able to provide Ghati with the necessary surgeries to correct her feet. Years of dedicated rehabilitation followed, and today, Ghati walks normally!
She has overcome significant adversity and is now a bright young woman with a promising future. Currently studying tailoring, Ghati also plans to acquire computer skills. Her dream is to return to her community, establish a successful business, and become a role model for others.
Ghati is determined to advocate for the disadvantaged and make a positive impact on the world. Your generosity has provided Ghati with the opportunity to thrive and to one day give back to her community
Raphael, now 20 years old, is a brilliant student and a fine young man who is doing very well in his academic endeavours. He is at Musoma Technical College in Form 6 in his final year of college.
Raphael was born with bent legs (bilateral leg talipes). He has had surgery to release his contractures and has worn callipers, which we have sponsored and facilitated this care and management. He has been able to get around for many years with a specialised hand treadle wheelchair which Physiotas have generously sponsored.
He recently embarked on a 27-hour bus journey with our Care for Africa Country Manager, Abdallah Obedi, and his Auntie to Dar es Salaam. The sights and sounds of the bustling city were overwhelming for them both. Abdallah selflessly gave up his Christmas Day to ensure Raphael could see the specialist doctors in time for their expert care.
Raphael spent two weeks at Comprehensive Based Rehabilitation Tanzania Hospital for consultation and construction and fitting of bilateral callipers.
Raphael is now back at school with his new callipers and mobilizing well with his new tailor-made callipers.
The invaluable efforts of all our volunteers and our Tanzanian colleagues has made itself evident with ongoing falls in disease incidents rates and increases in school attendance of primary school aged children.
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