A CHILD'S LIFE

As recent as 1986, half of all children born in the Arusha region of Tanzania, East Africa, were dying before their fifth birthdays. Measles was their number one killer followed by dehydration, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio and tuberculosis. With the proper immunizations, all were preventable diseases. Sadly, there were no immunizations and no facility where they could be dispensed.

Tragic and senseless, this situation was dramatically changed with the building of the Kilimanjaro Children's Hospital.

A CLIMB TO SAVE A CHILD'S LIFE

In 1984 a tax-exempt, nonprofit charitable organization named C6 was formed in Denver, Colorado. C6, short for the Consortium for Community Centered Comprehensive Child Care, was established to raise funds to build a Hospital for the children of Tanzania. Initial fundraising efforts centered on "Climbs for Children" up the steep slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. As Africa's highest peak, Kilimanjaro presented a climbing challenge as well as a fundraising goal. C6 sponsored many "Kili" climbs over the years and utilized them to generate the funds to build the Kilimanjaro Children's Hospital. Climbers agreed to raise at least $20,000 for the Hospital, pay their own travel expenses and spend three to four weeks immersing themselves in the beauty, poverty, culture, and challenge awaiting them in Tanzania. A huge commitment and an utterly life changing experience!

A NO FRILLS FACILITY AND PROGRAM

Kilimanjaro Children's Hospital is a unique community facility located in the village of Selian in Northern Tanzania. The first building, completed in 1990, was the Mother/Child Outpatient Clinic, followed by the 71 bed Pediatric Ward in 1994 and, finally, the Surgical Theater and Ward, finished in 1996.

Staffed by Tanzanian and western physicians and health care workers, Kilimanjaro Children's Hospital is the nucleus of a public health outreach program providing lifesaving immunizations and medical care for Maasai children and their families throughout the 10,000 square mile Arusha region. In its first operating year, the Hospital treated 35,000 patients.

The Kilimanjaro Children's mission has historically been to provide health care to all those in need regardless of their ability to pay. Today, funds raised by "Climbs for Children" help with operating costs generated by non-paying patients, and make it possible for the Hospital to remain open to all those in need of medical attention.

BE PART OF THE SOLUTION