Love and Transformation

A boy born in Tanzania with a severe cleft palate defies odds and becomes a symbol of hope for two communities… and the world

Kaanankira’s story spans two continents and over 16 years as people in his local community of Karansi, Tanzania and Atlanta, Georgia have rallied around the unlikely young hero to provide love, shelter, financial support and medical care.

Kaanankira was born in rural Tanzania with a severe cleft palate. The birth defect made it difficult for him to eat or even breathe. His mother, after seeing her newborn son, knew she couldn’t care for him as she had no access to medical care. His aunt took the child in and provided safety and shelter in her one room home. Eliamulika gave him the name Kaanankira, in Swahili which means, “Stay with the Lord”.

Dave Burgess, president of Ubora, explained, “Children born with any type of disability are at risk of infanticide in some countries in east Africa due to ancient tribal customs. Thankfully, Kaanankira’s life was spared.”

Seeking help for the child, Eliamulika turned to Pastor Wariaeli Maphie of Karansi. Pastor Wariaeli had been instrumental in establishing a partnership between his village and Perimeter Church in Atlanta in 2001 for provision of humanitarian aid, which would eventually organize as the non-profit UboraTZ. Ubora which means “excellence” in Swahili, continues to serve the people and village of Karansi through five impact programs, including child sponsorship, education, business, health and community.

One week in 2005 a group of high school students and group leaders were visiting from Atlanta.

“On the last day of the trip, a woman brought up a baby to the school where we were,” said Dave Boy, who was leading the mission trip along with Wendy Williams. “The child had a severe cleft palate. We all felt compassion and an overwhelming need to do something. From the available funds we had on us, we collected enough money for the child to see a doctor, I believe it was $250.”

At that first doctor’s appointment, they learned Kaanankira was malnourished because he couldn’t get proper suction to breastfeed. He was also very sick with malaria.

On both sides of the Atlantic, teams mobilized to get Kaanankira the restorative surgery he needed. The team in Tanzania connected with the nonprofit Smile Train; Smile Train in turn located a European doctor who would be in the area and willing to do the surgery. The team in Atlanta raised the $1500 necessary to cover expenses related to the surgery for Kaanankira.

Kaanankira had successful palatoplasty to repair his cleft palate, with outstanding results. The child’s birth mother eventually took him back in.

In addition to his cleft palate, Kaanankira was severely malnourished and had malaria.

A beautiful physical transformation thanks to successful surgery.

Wendy Williams, a teacher and long-term volunteer and supporter of Ubora, returned to the village of Karansi in 2015 for a teacher-mentor mission trip. “On the way to worship, I often ask the children their names – just to repeat it and tell them how beautiful they are,” recalled Wendy. “As I looked in this little face, I saw the faint cleft-palate scar. I asked him, ‘Jina la ku ni nani?’ Very quietly he said something I thought could mean Kaanankira, but I wasn’t sure, so I asked his teacher and she confirmed that it was him. He didn’t know me and I didn’t want to frighten him, so I just stood in the field with my hands on his head and quietly wept over God’s amazing work in the life of this precious child.”

The Boys became Kaanankira’s sponsor. “It was such a tug on my heart when I saw him,” said Dave, “I knew he was meant to be our sponsored child.”

The monthly sponsorship fee covers all school-related expenses at Siha Leadership School, including two nutritious meals a day. Over the years, the Boys have communicated regularly with Kaanankira through written letters and Zoom calls, and have visited him multiple times. They continue to marvel at his development over the years.

When Kaanankira’s father died in 2014, home life once again would prove difficult for the boy. Rather than sending him to school, his mother often kept him home to tend to the cattle in the field.

Another David (Daudi in Swahili) would reach into Kaanankira’s life to lend a hand in his ongoing transformation. This time, it was Daudi Mbise, an SLS teacher at the time, who offered to take Kaanankira in and raise him as his own. Daudi soon married Martha, also a teacher at SLS, and the three became a family in 2017. Kaanankira began to do better in school with new found stability in his home life and the loving care of two parents.

Kaanankira’s family now includes a little brother, Delvis, and sister, Delvina. “In his letters, he is so thrilled that he has a little brother and sister,” said Karla Boy. “That has congealed him closer in the family. It just thrills my heart.”

The Standard 7 National Exams were held in September for all students in Tanzania. Martha and Daudi encouraged, prayed and coached Kaanankira in preparation for the test. “We worked on helping build his self confidence that he was capable, prepared and would do well on the exam,” said Martha.

“Not only did the entire class do very well on the exams, but we were especially proud of Kaanankira who scored a B on the exam,” reported Headmaster Daniel Lepapa.

“We thank God and are so glad for his performance,” said Martha. “Before that, we believed he could do it. We were praying for him every day.”

“Martha invested and believed in his ability to pass the 7th grade test,” said Dave Boy. “This is such a victory and something to be celebrated. The fact that he got a B is a big deal in Tanzania.”

Kaanankira is quite well known in his home of Karansi and also by many people in and around Atlanta associated with Ubora. “He’s always had so many people praying for him,” said Dave Burgess.

So, what’s next for Kaanankira? In January, he will enter secondary school in Tanzania.

He believes there is a call on his life, said Martha, “to be a great man, a pastor.”

“To watch his transformation has been such a blessing,” said Karla. “The biggest thing we noticed, in his early pictures up to age 4 or 7, there were not too many smiles. That has all changed. Now in every picture he has a big smile. He’s doing so much better than he was early in life.”

“Kaanankira believes that God has truly delivered him into wonderful opportunities,” said David Boy. “He sees that. It has been an amazing story.”