Institute for Child Healthcare Africa (ICHA)
Modeling Pediatrics for Tomorrow

ICHA provides the vision, expertise, and organizational foundation, while Tiny Feet Big Steps is a practical, collaborative expression of that vision—conferences that equip healthcare providers across Africa to deliver excellence in neonatal care. 

ICHA's Vision
A continent where all children can thrive through quality healthcare.
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ICHA's Mission
To provide evidence-based, compassionate medical care to children through education, research and collaboration with hospitals throughout Africa.  ​

ICHA's Core Values
​We strive to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God as we adopt the following core values:

1. Compassion: Offering medical care with kindness and respect, seeking to both understand and alleviate suffering.
2. Excellence: Children deserve healthcare that adopts the highest standards of care.
3. Education: Teaching and mentoring doctors and nurses, investing in families and communities in the care of their children.
4. Integrity: Practicing honesty with others and ourselves, doing what we say and saying what we do.
5. Collaboration: We work best when we understand everyone has equal value, listening and learning from each other in our communities.
6. Equity: Every child deserves quality care regardless of gender, income, tribe, or religion.

ICHA's Work

Advancing Child Healthcare in Africa

1. Delivering low-cost, high impact neonatology services of premature and hospitalized newborns in our partner NICUs:

• Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre (ALMC) NICU.
• Kivulini Hospital / Maternity Africa NICU (providing ICHA physicians).
• Potential new hospital relationships ICHA is fostering.

 2. Providing specialty outpatient and inpatient pediatric care through the:

• Arusha Pediatric & Maternity Centre (APMC) - a first ever dedicated specialty centre for outpatient care of infants, children, adolescents, and pregnant women.
• Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre (ALMC) pediatric ward and clinics. 

3. Training NICU physicians & nurses through Tiny Feet Big Steps (TFBS) Neonatology Conferences

• Uniquely co-training physicians and nurses, with a strong emphasis on innovation, clinical proficiency, and actionable healthcare strategies. 
• Leading the largest African Neonatology Conference in Arusha, Tanzania.
• Expanded to Ethiopia, Dec. 2025.
• Exploring expansion opportunities at the request of other countries.
• Resourcing medical staff with our Every Breath Counts Manual of Neonatal Care & Drug Doses, 3rd Ed: a 440-page neonatal care handbook offering evidence-based protocols, drug dosing, and NICU procedures for low-resource settings. It’s been distributed to nearly 250 hospitals across 25 African countries, serving as a key training tool to improve newborn survival.

4. Mentoring doctors and nurses in pediatrics

• 7 Tanzanian doctors and 20 NICU nurses are currently supported by ICHA. 
• 4 doctors in international residency programs (Kenya, South Africa, USA) that ICHA has helped reach this stage of training.
• Teaching at Pediatric Association of Tanzania and other venues.