portrait of Sewa Haji

Sewa Haji Paroo (c. 1851 in Bagamoyo – 10 February 1897 in Zanzibar) was a businessman of Indian Ismaili origin. He was the main trader for the Sultan of Zanzibar. He also founded and financed the Sewa Haji Hospital which today is part of the Muhimbili Hospital in Dar es Salaam. Sewa Haji is considered the first philanthropist of East Africa. For example, he financed the building of a school, a mosque and several wells in his native Bagamoyo. Also he equipped the famous expedition of Henry Morton Stanley.

Literature

  • Robert Gregory: The Rise and Fall of Philanthropy in East Africa. Transaction Publishers, 1991


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