Picture this: A retired couple while on vacation encounter many homeless children. Children with sunken eyes from malnutrition begging for food and money on every corner. Babies with bones exposed through their thin fragile skin and rumors of abandoned babies left on the side of a road.
What would you do? Finish your vacation and think how sad this is but there isn’t anything I could do. Or would you go home determined to come back and make a difference?
Michael and Dorris Fortson from Texas shared their answers to the questions on the weekend of Oct. 19 at the Wayne Volunteer Fire Department and Journey Christian Church. The Brent and Holly Doring family hosted the weekend events.
The year was 2008, Michael and Dorris Fortson embarked on a vacation to Tanzania with two of their adult children. The goal of the trip included taking their children back to see where they were born while their parents were missionaries from 1965-1971. Little did they realize what the road to Tanzania had in store for them.
Seeing the multitudes of homeless children, stricken with poverty and disease, left the couple speechless. They were told the rate of children becoming orphans had skyrocketed since the era when the Fortsons had lived in Tanzania. They learned that even though there are many orphanages, none were just for babies.
According to the 2022 Tanzania National Census, there were 346,733 orphans between the ages of zero to five years old. The Fortsons reported one in nine women die in childbirth and many parents die from HIV/Aids.
Their oldest son, Rob, told them they could definitely make a difference. Dorris, having been delivered to an orphanage at the early age of four, and the couple’s extremely strong faith in God were determined to make a difference even if it was one child at a time.
The idea was born and in 2011 the Fortsons took a two-month trip, visiting 22 different orphanages in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Dorris said, “we learned what to do and what not to do.” They decided to make their dream come true in Arusha, Tanzania, East Africa.
In 2012, Michael traveled alone to look for a rental house to start the first and only certified baby orphanage. They only take children from birth to two years old that are abandoned, orphaned and at-risk.
He was able to furnish the rental house with items found at garage sales, made by hand items and purchased from local vendors. He also bought a generator and a water purification system. Dorris stayed in Texas to finish raising money for their cause.
In July of 2012, Neema Village was officially opened under the direction of the Fortsons, both being 68 years old. They were ready for 30 babies.
Neema means "grace" in Swahili. Neema Village was founded based on the bible verse James 1:27 (NIV) Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted from the world.
Neema Village started as a rental house. According to the Fortsons, God grew the village to 17 buildings on their own property with an electric fence in the past 13 years. All buildings were built by hand, no machines were used. The Fortsons continue to work alongside the employees at the age of 81 years old.
As of writing, Neema has 73 babies with a total of 450 babies having already been served. They have 101 employees for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Neema Village is a 501(c)3 registered non-profit in the USA and a registered NGO in Tanzania. The Fortsons and volunteers are never paid.
During the past 13 years, the Fortsons knew they needed to do more than just help the babies. They needed to look into the reasons so many babies were entering their orphanage.
They started the Mothers Against Poverty (MAP). This program provides opportunities for the mothers of these babies to heal and eventually become self sufficient to raise their children.
Neema Village continues to grow and expand with innovative programs. The Fortsons were asked how they were able to do so much in 13 years and have the funding. Dorris replied, “I can’t explain. Only God can, not us.”
To this date they added the following programs: Girls Informed for Tomorrow, Free Rehab Daycare, The Neema Water Project, Save the Mothers Program, Community Soccer Field and are currently building the Men’s Fathering Conference. They also provide food and water to areas in Tanzania. Most women walk for miles just to bring water home to their family.
During the presentations over the weekend the Fortsons provided slide shows with many examples of the work being done at the village. They showed before and after pictures of children they saved.
The stories of abandoned babies being found in a latrine receiving burns, left to die on the side of the road, maggots coming out of their ears or diapers left on for so long they were stuck on their skin tugged at the hearts of 267 volunteers from all over the world encouraging them to step out of their comfort zone.
Volunteers Brent and Holly Doring, along with their children Avianna and Joshua, have experienced caring for the babies. They first heard about the Neema Village on a Facebook post from Brent’s cousin about a fundraiser for the village. Holly thought this would be a wonderful opportunity for her and Avianna.
In 2017, Holly and Avianna embarked on their first trip to Neema Village.
Holly said, “It changed our lives, our hearts are in Tanzania.” Avianna shared, “I was 15 when I went. I will admit I was very entitled and a brat. It was a good change; I became very grateful for what I have. It also solidified my desire to be a nurse.”
Avianna has a desire to one day help them develop a birthing center.
Covid stopped the Dorings from traveling to Tanzania. In 2023, they were able to go to volunteer again, this time taking Brent and Joshua. Again, their love for the people of Neema Village grew even stronger. Joshua, when he first arrived refused to hold a baby. God intervened and Joshua received a baby to take to church. After that he didn’t want to leave. His favorite place was the free daycare for babies with special needs only.
The Dorings are leaving again from Dec. 12 to Jan. 1. Holly will travel again in May of 2025. While they are in the village, they will love the babies and toddlers, feed them, change them and play with them. They will also be milking cows, gardening, and delivering supplies to local villages.
Each time the Dorings go to Neema Village they take needed supplies with them.
For further information go to www.neemavillage.org This website provides more detailed information about the programs, how to volunteer, provide sponsorship, financial assistance and sign up for their newsletter.
Anyone wanting to donate to the Doring’s mission trip can send a check to State Nebraska Bank in Wayne, attention Doring Africa account.
