Local Charity Tumaini La Maisha (TLM) to operate Make-A-Wish Tanzania
Tumaini La Maisha and Make-A-Wish International celebrated the official launch of Make-A-Wish Tanzania at the Sea Cliff Hotel in Dar es Salaam on Saturday, coinciding with International Childhood Cancer Day. This milestone marks the first member of the Make-A-Wish International network based in Africa, opening the door for children facing critical illnesses to experience the life-changing impact of a wish come true.
Make-A-Wish Tanzania will be run as a program of Tumaini La Maisha (TLM), a charity dedicated to ensuring access to quality services for children with cancer in Tanzania. TLM treats approximately 1,000 children with cancer annually across multiple sites in Tanzania, though the need remains great, with an estimated 4,500 children currently affected by cancer.
Make-A-Wish is now present in almost 50 countries and territories and has granted more than 585,000 wishes worldwide, transforming the lives of children and their families. Research underscores the benefits of wish-granting as a therapeutic complement for children undergoing treatment, improving physical, emotional, and social well-being while inspiring hope and optimism. In fact, 98% of wish children and their families surveyed agree that the wish experience is important for every child living with critical illness.
The launch event also saw the one first wishes to be granted by Make-A-Wish Tanzania come true in real time for 11-year-old Kuyela from Tabora. Kuyela is living with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and soccer is a big a part of his life, whether that's kicking a ball about with his friends our watching the games on TV. Kuyela’s smile lit up the room as his simple wish to have a jersey from his favorite club, Simba SC was granted.
“We are thrilled to welcome Make-A-Wish Tanzania as the first member of our network in Africa and to work with TLM to bring the power of a wish to children in Tanzania,” said Luciano Manzo, President & CEO of Make-A-Wish International. “This launch brings us closer to our goal of reaching every eligible child. Together, we can restore childhood to children facing critical illnesses, bringing lasting positive impacts for them and their families.”
Trish Scanlan, CEO of TLM, shared her enthusiasm, stating, “We are honored to launch Make-A-Wish Tanzania and bring the healing power of a wish to children facing critical illnesses. Our mission is to provide quality cancer treatment to children and improve cure rates. Partnering with Make-A-Wish International allows us to enhance this mission by incorporating the transformative therapy of wish granting.”
Make-A-Wish Tanzania will collaborate closely with doctors, nurses, social workers, and families to identify eligible children aged 3 to 17 living with critical illnesses. Each wish will be tailored to the child’s unique interests, creating a personalized and unforgettable experience. Initially, the organization will work with Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam to identify and support eligible children. With the help of donors, sponsors, and volunteers across the country, Make-A-Wish Tanzania aims to make a lasting impact on the lives of children and their families.
For further information see worldwish.org and weartlm.org.
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About Make-A-Wish International
Make-A-Wish creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Founded in 1980, Make-A-Wish is the world’s leading children’s wish-granting organization, having granted more than 585,000 wishes in 50 countries and territories worldwide. Every 25 seconds, a child is diagnosed with a critical illness and becomes eligible for a wish. Wish experiences can restore the childhood stolen by a critical illness diagnosis and improve physical, psychological and emotional well-being. Together with generous donors, supporters, staff and more than 27,000 volunteers around the globe, Make-A-Wish brings the power of a wish-come-true to children and their families when they need it most. For more information about Make-A-Wish International, visit worldwish.org.
About Tumaini La Maisha (TLM)
Tumaini La Maisha is a Tanzanian NGO dedicated to support children with cancer and fights every day to stop the unnecessary suffering and loss of young lives from a cancer diagnosis. Tumaini la Maisha (TLM) was registered in 2011 inspired by the commitment of the parents and staff and the incredible bravery of children who attended the first children’s cancer ward in the Ocean Road Cancer Institute. Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) now houses the largest children’s cancer ward in the country built by the Rotary Clubs of Dar es Salaam in 2013. TLM works in close partnership with MNH supporting the excellent work of the incredible paediatric oncology unit based at Upendo Children’s cancer ward in Jengo la Watoto MNH. Through this partnership all inpatient children’s cancer care is offered free of charge to all patients. For the estimated 4,500 children who develop childhood cancer every year in Tanzania, the ability to afford the travel, medical and associated costs is a distant dream. As a result, TLM has set about supporting and connecting clinical facilities across the entire country in a collaborative National Children’s Cancer Network (NCCN). As of 2022 there are 12 participating sites across 10 regions. The aim in the next 5 years is to have more than 30 sites across every region so that no child is more than a 4-hour journey from the Network. Today, TLM funds, sources and provides a range of supports to these sites including all chemotherapy for every child in Tanzania; medical subspecialty training, nutritional support, transport, access to oncology diagnostics, health insurance, hostel, child and parent education and clinical outreach services, all offered completely free of charge. Survival rates have gone from less than 10% to more than 50% for children seen and numbers of children treated have increased from 120 in 2005 to 916 in 2023. However we will not stop until we’ve reached every child who needs care.
