Dar es Salaam. In the lead-up to International Women’s Day, which culminates on Saturday of this week, women from the Office of the Treasury Registrar (OTR) visited on Thursday, March 6, 2025, and provided various necessities to children suffering from cancer.
The visit took place at the Tumaini la Maisha Tanzania Center in Dar es Salaam.
The items delivered included diapers, coconuts for nutritional meals, a flour mill, bathing soaps, skin oils, notebooks, storybooks, ream papers, and pencils.
Other items included kanga (traditional fabric), fans, mosquito repellent, indoor brooms, large speakers, a radio with a microphone, and cash donations.
At Tumaini la Maisha, there are currently 22 patients, most of whom are children.
Each patient is accompanied by a caregiver.
Leading the visiting team was Ms Fatuma Mrope, the Acting Director of Administration and Human Resource Management at the OTR.
She expressed that the decision to assist the center was driven by their compassion for the children’s health.
“These children are ours; we have a responsibility to be part of creating their smiles,” Ms Mrope said, praying for their swift recovery.
Ms Linah Igogo, the Director of Investment Fund Management at the OTR, urged Tanzanians to feel compassion and assist these children.
“These children need our comfort, so it would be good if we lend them a hand,” Ms Igogo emphasized.
Ms Neema Musomba, the Director of Management Services with the OTR, echoed Ms Igogo’s sentiments.
“We must help those in need, as doing so is a form of worship,” Ms Musomba stated.
Receiving the aid, Ms Elizabeth Chabiko, the Social Program in charge at Tumaini la Maisha Tanzania, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the women from the OTR for their generosity and compassion.
She noted that the center has significant needs, as operational costs are high.
Through donations from kind-hearted individuals, the center covers medical expenses, as well as food and accommodation for the patients and their caregivers.
The institution also supports the training of doctors and nurses, who, upon graduation, collaborate with government health workers.
Ms Chabiko mentioned that many of the patients at Tumaini la Maisha Tanzania are suffering from various types of cancer, including blood, eye, kidney, bone, lymphatic, and skin cancers.
Ms Asha Ally, a resident of Tanga who has been at the Tumaini la Maisha center for a month, shared that without support, her family would struggle to afford the high medical costs.
Ms Ally is caring for her younger sister, Fatuma Ally, a Form Four student, noting that a single radiation treatment costs Sh2.7 million.
