Outreach Trainee Nkambi and school children



Outreach Coordinator Sarah Wallis and Outreach Trainee Nkambi



Dr. Murila & students at Haydom Luth. Hospital



Dr. Murila and staff in operating room



Child with skeletal fluorosis pre-op



Same child post-op

SELIAN ORTHOPEDIC INSTITUTE: For many years Selian Lutheran Hospital has provided regular orthopedic care to those in need. Visiting surgeons and generous supporters have made available specialty care and assisted in the training of Selian surgeons to do a broad range of the orthopedic procedures.

In early 2006, Selian was blessed with the appointment of Dr. Johnson Murila as director of the Selian Orthopedic Institute (OI). As an experienced Orthopedic Consultant, he came to Selian to lead the development of advanced orthopedic services for the hospital.
Since January 1, 2009 the leader of the OI is Dr. Geoffrey Kibira.

Children in the Selian community suffer from both congenital problems like club foot and acquired orthopedic problems such as the unique local problem of skeletal fluorosis. Skeletal trauma is a common cause of disability and burn contractures are also common among Maasai children as a consequence of cooking over open fires.


The Selian Orthopedic Institute provides an outreach effort to identify and surgically treat children afflicted with these and other skeletal conditions. Click to see the formal description of the program.

Orthopedic Institute Objectives:

1. Establish full time, specialist orthopedic care for the Arusha and Manyara Regions of Tanzania

2. Strengthen and expand existing orthopedic services at the Selian Lutheran Hospital (SLH) and the newly constructed Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre (ALMC)

3. Strengthen and expand existing Physical and Occupational Therapy services

4. Expand the outreach services at Selian to find children in the villages in need of orthopedic and plastic surgery. Click to see a slideshow of outreach photos.

4. Initiate community outreach to complement the existing services of our partners at Haydom Lutheran Hospital and Mwangaza

5. Provide a minimum of 200 subsidized orthopedic operations for crippled children annually. Click to see the program brochure.

6. Provide long-term post-operative care for children whose conditions do not allow immediate return to their home environments. Click to see photos of the Plaster House.

Support for the outreach programs, for corrective and rehabilitative surgery, and for postoperative care and rehabilitation come from many individuals and organizations. Major donors to these programs are shown on the contribution page.