The Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI) and the Heart Team Africa Foundation (HTAF) have launched a campaign to raise 25bn/- to pay for treatment of 1,000 children living with heart disease, according to https://ippmedia.co.tz/.
The money is to be raised at the JKCI–HTAF Prestige Gala Dinner 2026, set for December 4, 2026, at Malaika Beach Resort in Mwanza. The dinner will be held under the theme "Save a Child's Heart, Save a Nation."
President Samia Suluhu Hassan is expected to attend as guest of honour, https://ippmedia.co.tz/ reports.
Why it matters
Tanzania has the specialists and the capacity to perform cardiac surgery on children, but many families cannot afford the share of treatment costs they are expected to pay. The campaign is intended to close that gap and to back the government's own efforts to finance cardiac care for young patients.
The funds are expected to cover surgery for 1,000 children over four to five years. They will also pay for other parts of the programme, including construction of a House of Hope, a facility meant to house children undergoing treatment and the relatives accompanying them.
The cost barrier facing families
Estimates cited in the reporting suggest that between 16,000 and 24,000 children may be born with heart defects in Tanzania every year. Roughly 4,000 of them are thought to have severe conditions that require surgery within their first year of life.
The government covers 70 per cent of the cost of treating a child with a heart condition, leaving parents or guardians to find the remaining 30 per cent. According to https://ippmedia.co.tz/, difficult economic circumstances leave many families unable to meet that balance, which can delay access to care that is time-sensitive.
That makes the shortage of money, as much as the shortage of medical expertise, a central obstacle. JKCI Executive Director Dr Peter Kisenge said Tanzania has specialists and the capacity to provide cardiac surgery for children, and he stressed the importance of collective efforts to address the challenge, according to the report.
The organisers frame the gala as a way to bring government, the private sector, institutions and other stakeholders together around the problem, so that children who need surgery receive it in time.
What to watch
The December 4 dinner in Mwanza will show how much of the 25bn/- target can be pledged in a single evening. How quickly the House of Hope is built, and how many of the 1,000 children are treated within the four- to five-year window, will be the measures to follow.
