Mission of Love

Local group part of trip to rescue center for abandoned African babies

Former Temple resident Melissa Ricks, Susie Dawson of Belton, Debra Hicks of Temple, Donna Darner of Fort Worth, and Sierra Goffigan of Hot Springs, Ark., feed babies at the Neema Village rescue center for abandoned babies outside of Arusha, Tanzania. Courtesy

Beverly Luedke of Belton and Donna Darner of Fort Worth entertain a group of toddlers at Neema Village. They are were part of a group of 13 volunteers who assisted at the rescue center last month. The group cared for 63 babies during their visit. Courtesy

DAVID STONE | TEMPLE DAILY TELEGRAM

A group of 13 people — including several members of the local Altrusa International group, plus friends and family members — ventured to rural Tanzania last month to volunteer at Neema Village, a rescue center for abandoned babies founded by Temple residents Doris and Michael Fortson.

Neema Village is located in a remote Maasai community outside of Arusha, Tanzania. According to Dr. Pam Greene, an Altrusa member and one of three Baylor Scott & White physicians who made the trip, one in nine Maasai women die during childbirth. If there is no mother to nurse the baby, the child is often abandoned. 

Neema Village cares for the babies until they are about 3 years old, and at that time they are returned to a family member or, if there is not an appropriate family member, the child is placed into a new family through adoption.

“It’s not that the families don’t care about the children, they just can’t afford to take care of them,” Greene said. “Baby formula costs more than $300 a month … no one there can afford that.”

While the local Altrusa club has been supporting Neema Village for years, this was the group’s first journey to Africa. It was a rewarding, yet eye-opening, experience.

“Neema had 63 babies under the age of 3 while we were there,” Greene said. “All of our group helped care for the babies — feeding, changing diapers, holding them, playing with them, reading and just loving on them. The babies loved the attention.”

Susan Dawson said feeding time was an experience she won’t soon forget.

“It was like little birds flocking around Mama for food,” she said. “All 63 eat at once, and the babies are just screaming for food. I was feeding two at a time.”

Beverly Luedke of Belton said meals consisted of porridge and a bottle, and after the heavy meal the babies were ready for naps.

Neema Village is located on 10 acres outside of Arusha, and every inch of the facility has a purpose.
“There are several buildings for their programs, but it also is an actual farm,” said Julie Ruiz of Temple. “The have gardens where they grow their vegetables, and they raise chickens, pigs, and cows. They even grow their own coffee.”

While volunteers are not paid, Neema has about 95 Tanzanians on the payroll. They cook, farm, clean and take care of the babies.
“They do an amazing job with these kids,” Ruiz said. “It’s a very well-run organization. The nannies all have roles — like an assembly line.”

In addition to taking care of orphans, Neema also drills wells in the community to provide fresh drinking water.

“It’s a very rural area,” said Debra Hicks, a founding Neema board member. “The roads are all rough and dirt, and it’s common seeing women walk five miles to get water and walk back with a container on their heads.”

In addition to the village, Neema utilizes a clinic about two hours away from Arusha that is unfinished. It was started by another group, and the Tanzanian government has said they will provide doctors once the clinic is finished. Until that time, Neema staff and volunteers use the facility to provide care for pregnant women and to train midwives in safe delivery techniques.

Right now, the clinic consists of a foundation, walls and a few doors on examination rooms.

“In the Massai villages, grandmothers called ‘bibis’ deliver the babies, but the bibis have not had medical training,” Dr. Greene said. “They also are delivering babies on a dirt floor, often without light. Neema is going out to the villages and bringing in about 20 bibis at a time. They stay at Neema Village for six days, learning delivery techniques and infant CPR.”

“At bibi graduation, they are given delivery packs with basic items to assist with delivery, including a solar light,” she said.

According to Leudke, Mother’s Against Poverty is another of Neema’s programs.

“In this area of Africa, women who lose their husband, or who are abused or abandoned by their husband, have no way to support themselves or their children,” she said. 

“Neema finds these women and brings them in for up to six months where they get counseling and learn a trade such as sewing, building chicken coops, making jewelry. Neema also supports their business for the first six months.”

During the day, the Temple-area women and other volunteers participated in Neema’s Days for Girls program. 

“This program prepares and distributes sustainable menstrual health solutions to girls who would otherwise miss school during their monthly periods,” Greene said. “We tried to encourage them to stay in school rather than get married as a teen.”

“We also had a group singing with the small children,” she said. “Most songs are Christian children’s songs because Neema is a Christian-based organization.”

The Temple group making the Neema mission included two other BSW physicians other than Greene. Doctors David Dawson, a vascular surgeon, and Steve Ruiz, an interventional radiologist, also volunteered — both are husbands of Altrusa members. Dr. Greene is an OB Gyn physician.

Also attending were a pharmacist, three medical assistants and six “very helpful” volunteers.

Each person making the trip carried an extra suitcase packed with 50 pounds of prenatal vitamins, diapers, baby wipes and other essentials. Members of the Temple community donated some of the suitcases and supplies that made their way to Africa.

The group has already scheduled its next trip to Neema.

“We’re going back in the last two weeks of August 2024,” Hicks said. “We saw a lot of needs we weren’t prepared to address, and we hope to take more supplies and people next time.”

To donate to Neema, or to volunteer at the village, visit neemavillage.org. 

“It’s a worthwhile mission to care for very needy and appreciative people,” Greene said.

Drs. Pam Greene, Steve Ruiz and David Dawson, all physicians at Baylor Scott & White, were among the volunteers that journeyed to Africa last month to work at Neema Village, a rescue center for abandoned children in rural Tanzania. Courtesy