Project Riziki

Over the past several years, The Small Things and our partners have been able to vastly improve the living conditions, daily care, and survival chances to the beautiful kids at Nkoaranga Orphanage, thanks to your support. Our one-to-one care program for premature infants has made a difference for Peace, Ebenezer, and Hope and the other babies who came in with her, but sometimes the outcome is out of our hands. No matter how much we love them and care for them, it is not enough to keep them from all harm.

Hope was one of the babies that benefited from the '7-baby challenge'
which funded one-to-one care for her when she arrived at Nkoaranga

 As I am writing this to you, one of our tiny girls is fighting for her life. After several weeks in the Lutheran referral hospital in Arusha, Hope was believed to be on the mend. However, after just a few days back at the orphanage, she had to be rushed to a larger hospital in Moshi with a high fever. We are hoping she will be released again soon, but the doctors are very concerned about her long term health and prospects, due to her prematurity and failure to thrive. As a result, we are working with other organizations to secure funds for her long and short term care. 

Hope is still very small for her age as has been given special formula
to help her to gain weight

In moments like this, we remember the fights we lost, and pray that this will not be one of them. In early 2011, our little boy Riziki was unable to defeat the illness or malformation that kept him from holding his food down and gaining weight. Then again a year later, in 2012, Rehema was taken from us before her time, due to diseases contracted during the unsanitary conditions of her birth. These things happen everywhere, but the problem is exacerbated in Tanzania, by poverty and stigma which can prevent women from seeking or receiving adequate nutrition or prenatal care. Compounding the problem are a lack of specialists and most hospitals' insufficient funds to attract qualified doctors.

Emily Butler has given up alcohol for 6 months to raise money for The Small Things
and has decided to donate this towards The Riziki Project

With the memory of these losses in mind, we now ask for all of your help and support in our struggle to give our kids the best possible medical care they can receive here in Tanzania, when circumstances require. We don't want to remain in the position of having to scramble for funds each time medical needs occur, as we have in the past. We instead seek to create a standing fund for hospital bills as well as any necessary transport, food, and overtime for Mamas accompanying the child, in memory of our little angels Riziki and Rehema, so that money will not be an obstacle to receiving the best care available.

Click here to donate.

Thank you for anything you can give!