- Writing here makes me nervous
Writing this makes me nervous. Because if I get it right, children like Marian may live. If I get it wrong, they may not.
Marian was found by an African outreach program. A tumour was growing inside her, untreated for years. Her father had been searching for help. She would have died without surgery.
This isn’t abstract. If you’re reading, you’re part of the decision. You can walk away, as many do when something feels too real. Or you can stay and help.
This past year, the More Child Surgeries program has changed lives. Not in theory, in reality. I’ve seen children stand upright, breathe freely, return to school because someone stepped up.
My own year didn’t start well. A personal loss was still shaking me. Work became heavy, the market unforgiving. But I’d made commitments to children overseas, and I feared I couldn’t honour them. Then I travelled again to Africa with old friends.
What I saw there reminded me: it’s not just the children who are saved. That trip reminded me those kids saved me too. Seeing real, physical change pulled me back to purpose. Slowly, the spark returned in work, in spirit, in life.
In 2022 Marian was found via an African NGO outreach program. She had a tumour growing inside her.
A donor from Australia, a surgeon from Africa and aftercare nearby was selected.
Today Marian is growing into a beautiful young lady, she lives with her father near Dodoma. Tanzania.
Her surgery, follow-up, and recovery in 2022, cost less than a family weekend here. She’s now a healthy young girl, living near Dodoma, Sub-Sahara.
I met her and her father this year in 2025. Every mile of the journey to see her was worth it.
This is the quiet power of staying. When you don’t walk away, you not only help the child, you grow deeper. You reconnect. You remember why you do the work. My own family and colleagues have travelled to see this firsthand. It ripples.
Corruption exists, yes. But the solution isn’t to withdraw. It’s to build better systems. That’s what is being done, through Child Surgeries Tanzania, a fully African-run NGO. They are now active in Tanzania, Ethiopia, soon Uganda. Local doctors, real-time data, shared sheets and weekly Zoom calls keep everything transparent and fast-moving.
This is no longer just an idea it’s a movement. From 500 to 1,300 surgeries in two years. 419 children this year (262 male and 157 female). From one hospital to eight. From one country to two, soon three.
A portion of our business funded this for over a decade. But in 2025, others joined: $120,000 in new donations, from people who saw and acted.
One donor gave two $25,000 contributions.
Others gave $10,000, $5,000, $1,000.
Some, instead of sending thank-you wine for “free advice,” chose simply to give.
You don’t need to solve everything. Just help one child. That ripple touches families, schools, hospitals. It lifts communities.
Your gift multiplies itself!
- The child gets to live. To be part of the village. Go to school.
- The mother (or father, or relative) who once stayed home can now work – eg earn income for family.
- The sibling who was also a carer can go to school.
- The village becomes more productive.
- Over time, whole communities shift. I have seen it!
- Money spent on surgery also strengthens hospitals:
- Strengthens kitchens, nurses, doctors who stay local – building a better health system – less charity – less foreign aid is needed.
- Young surgeons like Dr Kimaro who rise, train others, and choose to remain.
Your kindness multiplies.
When One Child Heals, Everything Changes. Most of the conditions treated are fixable: like a broken arm from playing, cleft palates, bowlegs, untreated heart conditions. Over here, they’re routine. Over there, they’re life-threatening – eg cancer is sometimes solved with amputation, tonsils with removal as no other way eg steady supply of non fake antibiotics. Fixing one changes everything.
Watch Dr Kimaro on YouTube thank Australians and marketnews readers
This is Rahman. He had a simple surgery paid for - it changed his life.
This is Lobikieki. He was dying. No options. Surgery. 5 years on alive.
This is Lobikieki above and below. I met him for the second time in 2025. He had never been to school and had been pestering me for 2 years – I gave in – he started school this year
2023 visit to Lobikieki's home
2025 catch up in Arusha
2025 to school first time
Watch Surgery Videos
View Surgery List
If you feel moved, act.
- $1,000 covers about two surgeries — two lives changed, and a stronger system around them.
- $10,000–$50,000 can help build out a regional hospital partnership, or sustain a new hub.
- $100,000+? You’d be laying down deep roots. Your own network. Your own legacy.
Giving to others, especially to children in need, isn’t charity. It’s alignment.
It aligns your actions with your values.
It sharpens your perspective.
And yes—it makes your life feel more lived.
I am a better dad, a better negotiator, a better lover (in my eyes, some may beg to differ), because of Marian, Lob and Navad.
I truly believe that.
I am a more valuable Australian, Victorian, Melbournian, a stronger cat! because of the experiences and people and children in particular of the Sub-Sahara – they are 100% the same as your kids – 100%.
I love my family, my work and I am a citizen of the world as much as I feel I am a citizen of Brighton – but I do love Brighton and my family and my job here very much – but they have enough for basic life.
In 2026 I need to find $250,000 or more and if you’d like to help yourself, to do yourself and your family a favour and you haven’t a better idea this Christmas (if you are do something else for someone wonderful, please keeping doing that) but if you want to feel great (even come with me to Africa in January 2027 – 8th time) then I/we’d love to hear from you.
Mal James 0408 107 988 [email protected]
Donation Page is this
Receipt on email is this
Total Donations
We fund via % of our income every month – low-cost, high-impact, safe, local, family-permissioned, life-changing surgeries when no other satisfactory option for the child, is available to the family, due to poverty.
Trained surgeons. No one religion, no politics. No further intervention after this one magic life-changing moment.
1. Work is referred between business
2. Instead of fee, sponsor surgeries
3. Client sign up and work done
4. Paid and %$ go to child surgeries
5. %$ sits in morechildsurgeries a/c
6. Child found who needs surgery
7. Child video to morechildsurgeries
8. Agree to fund child surgery
9. Child to Diagnosis – Video
10. Child to Surgery fix – Checklist
11. Child to Village – Aftercare video
12. We Verify & Pay Medicals
How do you know what the needs is?
I have this stat in real life 7 times.
It is estimated that 93% of people in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to safe, affordable surgical and anaesthesia care when needed. It is also estimated that 45-50% of the total population falls in the paediatric age range and 85% are expected to require a surgical intervention by age 15. Access to surgical care is limited by many factors such as transportation, hospital infrastructure, limited surgical supplies, affordability, and Inadequate number of surgical workforces in the region.
How do you know your money is well spent Mal?
- Well its my money too
- From a review point of view – we feel comfortable that the medical competency is there with 59 of the 70 children reviewed being good on our seventh trip this year in 2025.
How do we assess when not medically qualified?
When reviewing all children we would much prefer them to be reviewed by a doctor – but due to the tyranny of distance, time and money that has not been happening. So we follow a 3 step test
How does his or her general health appear.
Looking at the specific problem of the child (we have the before videos, you can see them on YouTube) does it on the whole seem to be been solved
What does Mum and Dad think. They are asked in Swahili and pushed a little to see if they have any issues.
Its not perfect but a lot better than not helping.
Selian Hospital Tanzania
Child Surgeries Tanzania
Batro Ngilangwa (CEO CST)
+255 745 347 411 [email protected]
KISANGANI STREET, MWILAMVYA,
KASULU TOWN COUNCIL, KIGOMA REGION.
Melbourne Australia