Kivulini Maternity Centre, NICU
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The hospital, Kivulini Maternity Centre, was founded by an NGO called Maternity Africa, established by Dr. Andrew Browning, an Australian surgeon internationally respected for his work in fistula repair. Dr. Browning came to Tanzania with a clear vision: to provide safe maternity care and restore dignity to women suffering from obstetric fistula.
Maternity Africa's Kivulini Maternity Centre is located on the western edge of Arusha, Tanzania, in a rapidly growing area that serves both urban and rural communities. A significant number of the patients who seek care there are Maasai women, many of whom travel long distances to access skilled maternity and surgical services that are otherwise unavailable to them. After years of early groundwork, Maternity Africa was able to secure four acres of donated land in one of Arusha’s most valuable and central areas. Through the Barbara May Foundation, the organization was officially registered in Tanzania and a purpose-built maternity hospital was constructed. |
ICHA trained and supported NICU doctors and nurses staff the NICU
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Today, the hospital provides free maternity care, including safe deliveries, cesarean sections, and fistula surgeries for women who would otherwise have no access to these services. Several times each year, outreach teams travel into rural villages to identify women suffering from vesicovaginal and rectovaginal fistulas—devastating injuries most often caused by prolonged, obstructed labor. These conditions can result in profound social stigma and isolation, particularly in pastoralist communities, and the hospital’s work offers both physical healing and restored dignity. All services are provided at no cost to patients, ensuring that care reaches the most vulnerable families.
ICHA's Critical Role
To strengthen neonatal services, the Kivulini Maternity Centre NICU is now staffed and supported by ICHA doctors and nurses who have attended Tiny Feet Big Steps training, bringing consistency, evidence-based practice, and a strong culture of mentorship and collaboration. ICHA’s approach emphasizes training, sustainability, and local capacity-building, ensuring that care is not dependent on short-term solutions but is rooted in long-term investment in people.
Through this partnership, the NICU has become a place of learning and excellence, where young Tanzanian clinicians are trained to care for premature and critically ill newborns—including babies born to Maasai families who often face significant barriers to healthcare access. This model improves survival today while building a skilled workforce for the future.
Kivulini's NICU today ranks as one of the strongest neonatal units in northern Tanzania.
Through this partnership, the NICU has become a place of learning and excellence, where young Tanzanian clinicians are trained to care for premature and critically ill newborns—including babies born to Maasai families who often face significant barriers to healthcare access. This model improves survival today while building a skilled workforce for the future.
Kivulini's NICU today ranks as one of the strongest neonatal units in northern Tanzania.
