An Australian couple, Anthony and Rae McLellan, have generously donated $2.6 million to fund the construction of a new life-saving maternity hospital in Chamwino, Tanzania.

We are pleased to officially announce the new hospital will be named Phaedra Hospital, in honour of Phaedra Vrontamitis, who was killed in the 1998 Nairobi embassy bombing. Phaedra was a beloved family member, the mother-in-law of the McLellan’s daughter.

More than 300,000 people in the Dodoma region will be served by the 40-bed hospital.

BMF Medical Director Dr Andrew Browning AM, an Australian obstetrician who has spent 17 years working across Africa, said the facility will transform outcomes for women facing life-threatening childbirth complications and the devastating condition of obstetric fistula.

“This hospital will provide a safe place for mothers to give birth and for women suffering obstetric fistula to receive restorative surgery and compassionate care,” said Dr Browning.

“It’s an extraordinary gift of faith and hope.”

Artist Impression of the Phaedra Hospital based on architect drawings.

Expected to open in 2027, Phaedra Hospital will include modern delivery suites, operating theatres, and a training centre for midwives and doctors. It is designed to deliver around 1,750 babies and repair 100 fistulas each year, directly tackling Tanzania’s high maternal mortality rate, where a mother dies in childbirth every 90 minutes due to limited access to skilled care and emergency facilities.

Karen Baker, BMF General Manager, said the hospital will fill a critical gap in maternal health services in the Dodoma region.

“In areas where trained midwives and safe facilities are scarce, too many women still die giving life. This hospital will change that, bringing professional care, compassion, and dignity to mothers who need it most,” Ms Baker said.

The Barbara May Foundation is entirely donor-funded, supporting hospitals in Tanzania, Ethiopia, and South Sudan that together deliver thousands of babies safely each year.

Anthony McLellan said he and Rae were inspired after reading Dr Browning’s book A Doctor in Africa.

“Our family wanted to turn loss into legacy,” Mr McLellan said. “The Phaedra Hospital will not only save lives but also train the next generation of African doctors and midwives. That’s something Phaedra would have loved.”

By providing timely obstetric intervention and life-changing fistula surgery, the hospital will not only save lives but also restore health, dignity, and hope to women who have endured years of preventable suffering. This compassionate, faith-led mission sits at the heart of both the Barbara May Foundation’s work and the McLellans’ generous donation.

Near the site of the planned hospital. A well ensures access to clean water. 

Phaedra Hospital’s construction is completely funded thanks to the generosity and compassion of Anthony and Rae McLellan. Now we are looking for compassionate donors, with vision for the future, to partner with us in equipping and establishing this hospital bringing hope to vulnerable women and girls in central Tanzania.