In 2011, Toby Tanser completed his “Sea to the Stars” run from the Indian Ocean to the top of Kilimanjaro. The run raised over $100,000 for the construction of the first public children’s hospital in East Africa. At the time, Tanser lived in New York City where he served on the board of directors for the NYC Marathon.

Now, Toby's charity, Shoe 4 Africa, aims to begin construction of a Women’s Hostel for the mothers of patients in early 2025. On July 1, 2024, I will attempt to retrace Toby's footsteps from the coast to Kilimanjaro, Then, I will continue another 600km on foot to the Shoe 4 Africa hospital itself in Eldoret, Kenya.

My hope in doing this run is to inspire people to support the hospital‘s new Women’s Hostel. Construction is expected to cost $600,000. I am hoping to raise $100,000, and I am seeking donations of up to $1000.

Why build a Women’s Hostel at a hospital?

As I’ve learned, the Shoe 4 Africa Hospital is so much more than a hospital. It is a health Mecca serving patients from Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Southern Sudan, Tanzania, and even one child from the DRC (catchment area of 30 million).

This area has high poverty rates (47 percent in Tanzania and 36 percent in Kenya). As a result of poverty, 50-54 percent of childhood cancer treatments are abandoned in Kenya according to some studies. Cancer is therefore effectively a death sentence for children in Africa: 9 out of 10 die within 5 years in some East African countries. By contrast, the survival rate is 85 percent in the USA.

Shoe 4 Africa surveyed parents in its cancer ward in 2022. 18 of 30 parents had to loan the bus fare to bring their child for initial diagnosis, and 27 of 30 parents could not afford a week’s hostel costs (approx $20/night). 30 of 30 mothers stated they would use the Women’s Hostel if offered. The Women’s Hostel will copy the model of Ronald MacDonald houses with a bed capacity to support over one hundred mothers within walking distance of the hospital. Shoe 4 Africa expects this women’s hostel to significantly reduce TA and ultimately improve health outcomes.