A young boy in a yellow hoodie blowing a bubble with bubblegum, sitting on the ground outdoors. There is a blue backpack nearby and another person holding a container of bubblegum bubble solution. A tree and some buildings are visible in the background.

Keep Mlali Centre Alive

For forty years, Mlali has been an oasis for disabled children where they are treated with dignity and given the hope of recovery. Most importantly, they find friends in similar positions, usually for the first time in their lives. Now, that mission needs support. The tractor that feeds 75 children and staff is failing, and essential equipment is breaking down, putting the Centre’s daily care and operations at risk.

A young man sitting on the floor with five children in a room with concrete flooring and brick walls.

A message from Project Lead, Ben Rainford:

I am a student at the University of Montana, and I’ve volunteered twice at Mlali. On my most recent visit, Fr. Gaudence shared that the Centre operates with almost no outside support. Since returning to US, I’ve worked with past volunteers and generous individuals to help address this gap. Together, Fr. Gaudence and I have identified the most urgent needs, with a new tractor as the highest priority. Because such a large investment will take time, we are also running several smaller campaigns to provide immediate support, which you can explore below. On behalf of the Mlali Rehabilitation Centre, thank you for your care and generosity.

To learn more about the Centre's mission or to contact Ben directly, click below:

Get in Touch

General Giving Fund

Donations to the General Fund are directed toward the Centre’s most immediate needs. These may include:

Child Sponsorship
Emerging Needs and Campaigns
General Operations

Learn More

❊ How you can help

Our Current Campaigns

All donations are processed through our US-based 501(c)(3) sponsor and are fully tax-deductible. As each campaign reaches its goal, we'll share updates, photos, and stories showing the impact of your support.

Child Sponsorship

Click to Give

A woman carrying a child on her back walking outdoors on a dirt ground in a rural area, with a simple house in the background.

Sponsor a Child

Some families cannot afford treatment, but the Centre never turns children away for financial reasons. Donations help cover full board, food, medical care, and physiotherapy.

It costs $76 a month to sponsor a child. Currently, 4 children need your support.

Click to Give

A young boy in a hospital gown using a walker, holding a pink balloon and looking at it thoughtfully in a covered outdoor area with colorful columns and walls.

Clothing & Shoes

Walking Frames

Wheel Chairs

Walking Frames

Only a few children at Mlali can walk without support; most rely on walking frames. These frames are essential not just for mobility, but for recovery—the more time children spend on their feet, the faster they can regain independent walking.

Cost

Number

10

Standing Frames

$68

Click to Give

An old, worn-out wheelchair with a ripped, plaid fabric seat and backrest, showing signs of heavy use and damage, with parts of the fabric peeling off.

Wheel Chairs

Wheelchairs are essential for children who are too young to move independently or unable to use walking frames. However, the Centre currently doesn’t have enough, and those available are in poor condition.

Cost

Number

$155

20

Click To Give

A young boy with a short haircut resting his head on a desk in a classroom, with colorful pictures on a pink wall in the background.

Standing Frames

While some children learn to walk, others focus on learning and practicing to stand. The Centre relies on standing frames for physiotherapy, but does not have enough—especially as Mlali grows and is able to accept more children.

Cost

$54

Number

8

Click To Give

A young child sitting on the ground blowing bubbles with a bubble wand, wearing a green hoodie and beige pants.

Clothing & Shoes

Alongside medical and therapeutic care, the Centre relies on donations to provide children with clothing, including everyday wear, shoes, and weather-appropriate items. Many children arrive with few or no personal belongings, making ongoing support necessary.

A pair of shoes costs around $12, and clothing arrives in bales costing $70

Click To Give

Click to Give

Our Really Big Goal

A blue New Holland tractor with large white wheels inside a brick and wood shed, surrounded by farm equipment and tools.

Everything Depends on our Tractor

The Centre’s 168 acres of farmland have provided food for 75 children, staff, volunteers, and religious brothers and sisters for over 40 years. Its tractor, purchased in 2001, is the Centre’s only piece of mechanized farming equipment and requires frequent repairs—costing around $500 each time, with parts often taking months to arrive. While it works, albeit inconsistently, a final breakdown poses a large threat: all operations including current building projects will be halted. A new tractor, costing $60,000, would secure the Centre’s ability to sustain itself for the next 25 to 30 years.

Donate to Tractor Fund

❊ Our mission

About Mlali

A young boy with a short haircut and wearing a striped long-sleeve shirt stands outdoors, smiling and leaning on a metal walker in front of a background featuring a brick building and laundry hanging on a clothesline.

Rehabilitation

Returning children to health is at the heart of Mali’s mission. Most children arrive unable to walk, or even to stand up. Through various therapies, they are rehabilitated, growing stronger and more autonomous. Almost all the children progress enough to walk on their own: the point at which they return home.

A young man in brown religious robes standing outside a building with a thoughtful expression, hand on his chin.

Formation

Mlali is Tanzania's Capuchin formation house, where young aspirants spend their formation year and seminarians live over their summer break. They work with the Children and around the Center, practicing the Franciscan charism of poverty, charity, and obedience.

A young girl in a plaid skirt and blue jacket standing next to a man in medical scrubs inside a building with wooden paneling and a yellow wall.

Volunteer

Mlali welcomes volunteers from Europe and the United States. Italian doctors often provide dental and medical care that would otherwise be unavailable to the Centre and surrounding villages. Student groups also visit during the summer and fall to assist with the children.

Learn more about what happens on the ground in Mlali: our story, mission, and the people that make it all possible.

About us ▸