Upcoming Events
Tiny Feet Big Steps Neonatology Conference - Arusha
11 - 15 May, 2026
Gran Meliá Hotel, Arusha, Tanzania
Rescheduled!
Registration: If you were registered for our 2025 conference please email [email protected], with your reference number, to reconfirm your registration.
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From grassroots stories of resilience to the growth of the Arusha Pediatric & Maternity Centre, you’ll receive updates that keep you informed, inspired, and involved. |
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Media, Interviews and Podcasts
Doctor Florence Samizi
Deputy Minister of Health for Tanzania Visits our ICHA NICU
A special moment for ICHA this week!
January 9, 2026
Doctor Florence Samizi, Deputy Minister of Health for Tanzania, visited the ICHA NICU at Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. Our NICU nurse Angel led a thoughtful and informative tour, highlighting the compassionate, high‑impact care our team provides every day.
During the visit, Dr. Steve Swanson presented Dr. Samizi with a copy of Every Breath Counts—the 400‑page neonatal care handbook authored by Dr. Swanson and his team, offering foundational, evidence‑based protocols for newborn care across resource‑limited settings.
We are deeply grateful for Dr. Samizi’s support, encouragement, and commitment to strengthening neonatal care in Tanzania. Moments like this remind us how powerful collaboration can be in giving every baby the best possible start in life.
More about our NICU at the Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre.
Deputy Minister of Health for Tanzania Visits our ICHA NICU
A special moment for ICHA this week!
January 9, 2026
Doctor Florence Samizi, Deputy Minister of Health for Tanzania, visited the ICHA NICU at Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. Our NICU nurse Angel led a thoughtful and informative tour, highlighting the compassionate, high‑impact care our team provides every day.
During the visit, Dr. Steve Swanson presented Dr. Samizi with a copy of Every Breath Counts—the 400‑page neonatal care handbook authored by Dr. Swanson and his team, offering foundational, evidence‑based protocols for newborn care across resource‑limited settings.
We are deeply grateful for Dr. Samizi’s support, encouragement, and commitment to strengthening neonatal care in Tanzania. Moments like this remind us how powerful collaboration can be in giving every baby the best possible start in life.
More about our NICU at the Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre.
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ICHA & Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre Partnership
November, 2025 The Institute for Child Healthcare Africa – Tanzania (ICHA-TZ) and Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre (ALMC/ELCT-NCD) have signed a three-year Service Agreement to jointly sustain and expand high-quality pediatric and neonatal care at ALMC—strengthening their shared commitment to improving outcomes for newborns and children across northern Tanzania. |
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The Incubator Podcast
An interview on The Incubator podcast with Dr. Stephen Swanson. |
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Our Tiny Feet, Big Steps Neonatology conference has been also featured twice on The Incubator podcast with attendees discussing their experiences.
Tiny Feet, Big Steps YouTube Interview Channel, 2024
21 interviews captured during the 2024 Tiny Feet, Big Steps Conference. Topics include:
21 interviews captured during the 2024 Tiny Feet, Big Steps Conference. Topics include:
Publications
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The 'Every Breath Counts' Handbook
To complement ICHA's educational endeavors, Dr. Swanson has developed a locally published handbook titled "Every Breath Counts, Manual of Neonatal Care & Drug Doses 2nd Edition." Authored by Dr. Swanson and his team, this handbook furnishes foundational protocols to Tiny Feet, Big Steps conference participants, further enriching their learning experience. |
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Every breath counts: Lessons learned in developing a training NICU in Northern Tanzania
A research paper published in the journal Frontiers in Pediatrics detailing the approach and outcomes of the ICHA NICU. Read the article: Every breath counts: Lessons learned in developing a training NICU in Northern Tanzania
A research paper published in the journal Frontiers in Pediatrics detailing the approach and outcomes of the ICHA NICU. Read the article: Every breath counts: Lessons learned in developing a training NICU in Northern Tanzania
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Working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Is More Than Saving a Baby’s Life
Dr. Godbless Philipo (a NICU team member) Thirty-two-week-old Maasai twins were brought to Selian Hospital in Arusha, Tanzania, with evidence of apparent twin–twin transfusion syndrome. They were delivered at home and then taken to a nearby dispensary health facility that frequently does not have a staff doctor present. They were then referred to us. One twin (twin 1) was doing well with minimal oxygen support. However, it became evident that twin 2 was struggling to breathe, with oxygen saturation levels in the 70s, and needed increased support. At Selian, patients must pay for services before they receive any laboratory work, imaging, or oxygen therapy. This was instituted because, historically, there have been difficulties with patients paying their bill, and it is a preventive measure for keeping the hospital afloat. However, because the majority of Selian patients do not have health insurance, things that may be seemingly easy fixes for symptoms, become difficult for patients of all sizes and ages to obtain. Read more... 2024 Tiny Feet, Big Steps Conference Report
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