Malaika Children’s Surgery Foundation
A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded 2026
About
Our mission is to improve surgical care, access to surgery, and patient experience for children undergoing surgery in East Africa.
We partner closely with African pediatric surgeons who dedicate their lives to healing children through surgery to support their needs through education, surgical supplies, patient costs, innovation, and hands-on surgical camps.
We provide opportunities for pediatric general and urologic surgeons, residents and students to work with us during hands-on surgical camps or through virtual education.
Focus Programs
Surgical Oncology
Provide support with trainee/surgeon education, operative support for solid abdominal tumors, and research
Hypospadias Repair
Assist with complex and redo repairs, education, and outcome improvement
Minimally Invasive Surgery
Host laparoscopic surgery training courses, hands-on intra-operative teaching, and assistance with technique and skills development
Innovation
Develop low-cost, simple and effective solutions to common problems to improve patient care
Quality Improvement
Provide education and assistance with process improvement to physicians. nurses, and other providers to improve clinical outcomes
Junior Malaika Program
The purpose of this program is to bring smiles to children’s faces as they wait for surgery or recover from surgery.
Our Junior Malaika Program provides resources to children’s surgical wards to improve the patient and family hospital experience, such as creating playrooms and providing child life-type service and education to hasten recovery through play and distraction therapy.
Founder: Lila Mathuria, Carnegie Vanguard High School, Houston, TX.
Co-Founder: Nisha Thukral, Bellaire High School, Houston, TX.
After working with child life specialists at children’s hospitals in the U.S., Lila was inspired to bring joy and emotional support to the children and their families on the surgical ward during a trip to Coast General Hospital in Kenya, along with her partner Nisha. The transformational success of this effort sparked the idea for a sustainable Junior Malaika Program for other children’s surgical wards in East Africa.
Support us by contributing to our Amazon wish list! We are currently fundraising for a playroom for a hospital in Kamapala, Uganda.
Our Team
Dr. Bindi Naik-Mathuria, MD, MPH, FACS, FAAP
Founder and President
“Dr. Bindi” as she is often called, was born and raised in Mombasa, Kenya, where her parents served the town as family practice physicians for 20 years. She is a board-certified pediatric surgeon in Houston, Texas. She trained in General Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Pediatric Surgery at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles of University of Southern California, and then earned a Masters in Public Health from Johns Hopkins. Her surgical expertise includes pediatric surgical oncology, repair of congenital gastrointestinal anomalies, and operative trauma. She is grateful for the opportunity to return to her beloved East Africa each year, where she collaborates closely with African pediatric surgery colleagues. She is passionate about supporting and improving surgical care for children in Africa through surgery, and sharing this passion and mission with trainees and American colleagues. Formation of this non-profit fulfills a long-standing dream of providing sustained support.
Dr. Renea Sturm, MD
Vice-President
Dr. Sturm is a board-certified pediatric urologist who trained at the University of California - Davis in Urology, then Lurie Children’s Hospital of Northwestern University for Pediatric Urology. Her surgical expertise includes hypospadias repair, lower urinary tract reconstruction, and minimally invasive surgery. She also runs a translational research program focused on bladder and urethral reconstruction utilizing tissue engineering. She is passionate about education and helping fellow surgeons to achieve excellent outcomes for pediatric urological conditions in under-resourced environments
Maria Thukral, JD
Secretary
Maria Thukral is an attorney with over 16 years of legal experience. She currently serves as Senior Counsel at Quanta Services, Inc., a Fortune 200 company, where she provides strategic legal guidance in employment law and regulatory compliance. She is honored to serve on the Board of Directors of Malaika Children’s Surgery and to support its mission to improve surgical care, expand access to surgery, and enhance the patient experience for children undergoing surgical treatment across Africa.
Treasurer
Kamini Desai was born and raised in the UK, where her family immigrated from Uganda. She has expertise in fundraising through her work with various school boards and charities.
Kamini Desai
Dr. Hetal Gohil, MBChB, M MedPaed Surg, FCS (ECSA)
Regional Director, Kenya
Dr. Gohil is a consultant pediatric surgeon at the Coast General Referral Hospital in Mombasa, Kenya, where she was only the second certified pediatric surgeon along the Kenyan coast region when she joined in 2023. She received her training in Pediatric Surgery at Kenyatta National Hospital, University of Nairobi. She is a fellow of COSECSA. Dr. Gohil has dedicated her life to serving the children of Kenya through surgical care, improving access, educating future surgeons, and improving outcomes and infrastructure.
What are we currently fundraising for?
Many children in Kenya are born with posterior urethral valves that block urine from leaving their bladders. If not treated, this leads to renal failure and ultimately death. In developed countries, this blockage is released using a cystoscope, a long tube with a camera and laser to divide the valves that is inserted through the urethra (penis), immediately relieving the problem. However, cystoscopes are very expensive, costing approximately - $5000 each. In hospitals that do not have this device, these children have surgery to bring their bladder to the skin of the lower abdomen, where urine constantly drips from, for the rest of their lives. This is socially unacceptable and many of these children cannot lead a normal life because of it. It also increases the risk of infection and other complications.
We are currently raising funds to purchase pediatric cystoscopes for 4 hospitals in Kenya for our upcoming visit in August. Your donation will directly help hundreds of children!
Contact Us:
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Instagram: malaika.childrens.surgery