On April 20, plastic surgeon Margo Lemmen and orthopedic surgeon Harry de Vries traveled to Tanzania. Ineke Oomen joined as a logistics assistant.

After arriving, we began Monday morning with rounds at the Selian Hospital. Njokuti started its work here many years ago when this hospital was still the main facility. In 2012, a new hospital was built in Arusha, which gradually became more important, leading to less focus on Selian Hospital. At the request of Selian, we have now returned. It was a warm reunion.

However, the rainy season was not yet over, making travel on muddy roads very challenging. As a result, the first patients only arrived at the outpatient clinic late in the morning. As the afternoon progressed, more and more children with joint contractures caused by burns came in. Our plastic surgeons were able to restore the functionality of many joints using skin grafts, flaps, and scar revisions.

Throughout the week, we performed 24 orthopedic and 15 plastic surgical procedures, leaving us with a great sense of fulfillment.

Over the weekend, we were joined by Minne Heeg, an orthopedic surgeon. We have always had close contact with him due to his extensive knowledge of pediatric orthopedic conditions. He is a true encyclopedia of expertise. Together, we traveled to Mwanza, near which the Sumve Hospital is located.

Njokuti was also active in Sumve until 2014, but in recent years, contact was lost due to uncertainties about the hospital’s future. Now we have returned. It was a warm reunion with both the hospital and the village. The rainy season was over here, making travel much easier.

The hospital is now led by Dr. Charles, a local doctor with a strong interest and knowledge of orthopedics. The days in Sumve were exceptionally busy, both at the outpatient clinic and in the hospital. The operating department worked overtime! For our plastic surgeon, however, there was less to do this time.

In between, we had many discussions about patient aftercare and the future of Njokuti in Sumve. The Njokuti board sees enough reason to plan a meeting early next year with the hospital management and local board to explore opportunities for further structural support.

On the last Saturday, we set off in the hospital’s Land Rover with their driver for a four-day journey through the Serengeti back to Arusha.

We said: “Kwa heri” (see you again).

On May 9, we returned to the Netherlands.