Testimonials

Kathy McGough from Nacogdoches Texas visited Neema Village in 2025.

Kathy writes:

I woke up all during the night. My body is here at home in Texas but my mind and heart are still in Tanzania at Neema Village. I kept thinking I needed to roll out of my bunk and not hit my head. There was work to be done. The babies were calling me. I knew I’d have a wonderful breakfast waiting for me from the Nannies in our kitchen. The birds were already chirping their native rhythms to wake me from my slumber. We’d gather around together and pray to start off our day. News of happenings overnight would be shared. God would lead me to the rooms where I was needed most. The next hours would be filled with babies and songs, feedings and rocking, playing and reading and walks along the most beautiful pathways on the earth. Then the course of our day would be led to the deepest poverty imaginable where we would meet with women of all ages who were in need far beyond our understanding. Their stories were worse than any movie I’ve ever seen or book I’ve ever read. My life is changed forever. Only by witnessing all the things our eyes have seen these last three weeks can bring to life all the needs people have and the opportunities we all have as human beings to live and share with others. God has blessed us all with special gifts and we must spend our days – no matter where we are – helping each other. I hope anyone who reads this gets the chance to experience what my friends and I did. Seek out the places where you can lift someone up and help in any way you can. Be the hands and feet of God wherever you are and whatever you do.

Linda with abandoned baby Russell.

Linda Johnson writes after her 2nd volunteer trip:

“God has certainly turned my heart toward these precious ones! I’m so thankful for the opportunity to go to Neema Village in Tanzania, love these beautiful babies and see firsthand the amazing and wonderful work being done there. This is God’s heart, “to care for orphans and widows.”

There is absolutely nothing more rewarding than knowin

g you can have a part in making a difference in the lives of these babies who have lost so much. God bless these little ones who have “great worth” in the Heavenly Father’s eyes and bless those who work at Neema for listening to God and answering the call to save these orphaned, abandoned and at risk babies. May God bless also their plans this year to help these African women out of extreme poverty so they can keep their babies at home.   And may He bless the wonderful Tanzanian staff at Neema.

Consider coming to volunteer or help sponsor a baby! You will be so blessed, I was!”

Danny Sims

Executive Director
Global Samaritan Resources

I was privileged to travel to Arusha, Tanzania with my daughter Hannah in July of 2013.We saw first hand and participated in the work being done at Neema House. Michael and Dorris Fortson are directly engaged in saving the lives of infants and toddlers who are neglected due to the death of a parent, disease, and poverty. But more than saving babies, the Fortsons are providing a framework for a sustained ministry that rehabilitates family members with the goal of reuniting a child with their family or placing a child with a qualified Christian family. With their knowledge of language and local culture, the Fortsons have developed an effective network of relationships among churches, doctors, and local government officials, to provide help and hope in the short term as well as for years to come.

Global Samaritan Resources has partnered with Neema Village in Arusha, Tanzania by providing their water purification system and childcare supplies. We are currently planning to send a sea-bound container of goods and look forward to a long relationship and helping provide basic needs to continue the good work being done at Neema Village.

Shermaine Mina

Volunteer From Dubai
June 2013

It was almost instantaneous that I felt part of the Neema Family as soon as I arrived. The babies are the happiest babies I’ve ever seen and the nannies and volunteers love them so much! I came to Neema Baby Home thinking I would be spending my time giving the babies love, care and affection. Little did I know that I would leave with this love returned a thousand fold! I didn’t realize 3 weeks would go by so quickly – in just this amount of time, I already feel like I’ve known everyone here forever – which makes leaving very hard.

But one thing that puts me at ease is knowing that the babies are under the care of Michael and Dorris, who are most loving and kind to them! Neema Baby Home is also very blessed to have nannies that care for the babies like they were their own and volunteers who shower them with attention! I will definitely come back and hopefully will meet some of the babies that I helped care for again – well that would be an overwhelming joy!

Kevin Huddleston, M.D.

Elder, The Vine Church, Temple, TX

For those who wish to know, my name is Kevin Huddleston. I am an obstetrician/gynecologist practicing in Central Texas at Scott and White Memorial Hospital. I had the privilege of being able to visit Neema  in Arusha, Tanzania this past summer.
Having known Michael and Dorris Fortson for many years, it was no secret that they had something special in mind when they started plans to begin
an orphanage in Tanzania.

Back home, we heard of their search for the right place and their visiting many different orphanages that already existed in that region of Africa to get a sense of what was truly needed. The time spent gathering information and formulating a plan for what they had in mind was not in vain.

Neema Village is special because it addresses a need that is currently not met by any other orphanage in Arusha. While there are many orphanages for young children, Neem is the only orphanage in Arusha that only takes in orphaned or abandoned babies. Having had the chance to visit and see firsthand the home and the organization, it was comforting to know that everyone who has chosen to be a part of Neema has chosen to be a part of something that is very special.
From administration to the nannies, housekeepers, and even the guards, everyone is committed to the care of those babies. It was a blessing to have been able to witness the kindness and compassion that is given 24/7 for all those babies.