SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – It’s the tale of a true miracle: a horrible tragedy in Africa, the fate of three Siouxlanders on a mission, and three miracle kids who brought two countries together.
In May 2017 in Tanzania, a bus carrying two teachers and 35 seventh graders crashed, catapulting into a ravine and killing nearly everyone on board.
Moments after the crash, missionaries from the Siouxland Tanzania Educational Medical Ministry, or STEMM, who were traveling in the same area, came upon the crash site. Among that group were three medical personnel from Sioux City: Kevin Nygard, Amanda Volkers and Jennifer Milby.
They responded quickly and discovered three kids still alive but seriously wounded. Who would soon be known as the “Miracle Kids,” then 13-year-old Doreen, and 12-year-olds Sadia and Wilson, were rushed to a Tanzania medical center but the care they needed was too much for the doctors there.
Work began to bring the kids to the United States and Sioux City, Iowa.
“This is a one-in-a-billion moon shot,” Dr. Steve Meyer said about the hours and days after discovering the kids alive amid the wreckage. “It’s how do you get three dying kids across the Atlantic Ocean? How do we find a hospital that’s going to give a half $1,000,000 worth of free medical care? How do we get the President of Tanzania to agree to let them go? How do we care for them when they’re here? There were so many obstacles, but instead of saying it’s too much. We just kept taking one step at a time.”
Within days, STEMM organizers, MercyOne doctors, and other organizations worked to bring the three kids to Sioux City for the life-saving treatment they needed. For months, the three miracle kids underwent surgeries and rehabilitation in Sioux City, before returning home to Tanzania.
Their journey inspired countless people countries apart.
A movie about the 3 Miracle Kids
Eight years later, STEMM continues its work in Tanzania. On a recent trip, STEMM founder Dr. Steve Meyer met with Tanzanian officials about an exciting new project to bring the “Miracle Kids” story to life, once again.
“So it was an absolute series of miracles after miracles, getting the government of Tanzania to release them, getting Mercy Hospital and CNOS to agree to the care,” Dr. Meyer said about the journey with the kids. “And then Ronald McDonald House, all these people that came around these kids.”
An incredible story of survival for Doreen, Sadia and Wilson.
“Doreen is the only human in the history of mankind to be completely paralyzed from the chest down who is now walking,” said Dr. Meyer.
And God’s work to make miracles happen.
“It’s just a great story of how God’s people when they don’t run the other direction when troubles come, but actually walk into it with faith, hope and love, armed with other people,” said Dr. Meyer.
Now, eight years later, an opportunity to bring the mission, and the miraculous story to a global audience.
“There is great traction underway to make a major, major motion picture about the ‘Miracle Kids’ story.” Dr. Meyer met with producers, who spent several days in Siouxland last fall interviewing those integral to the story.
“And then in January, we went to Tanzania, and we had a beautiful audience for a whole hour with the President of Tanzania, who at the time of the accident was the vice president, who was really, profoundly instrumental in bringing these kids back to America,” said Dr. Meyer.
This movie is about miracles with the goal of starting a worldwide miracle movement.
“Inspiring people to walk in faith and to engage other people under difficult circumstances,” said Dr. Meyer.
Meyer, and STEMM Executive Director Dwight Freiberg, say while the story itself is a tribute to the work of the Lord, the three survivors, the Miracle Kids, have a chance to make real change in their home country of Tanzania.
Their incredible survival already makes them a household name in Tanzania.
“They have a real possibility to make a huge impact in that country just because of their fame,” said Freiberg. “And they all have great attitudes and a lot of talent.”
While this movie highlights the work of STEMM and the story of the children, it’s still a tragedy that impacted so many. 32 kids and three adults, two teachers and the driver, died in the bus crash that Doreen, Wilson, and Sadia miraculously survived.
“I mean, those are 32 kids that were, some of whom were friends with them that passed,” Freiberg explained of the impact this continues to have on the three survivors. “And so it’s a very difficult moment.”
A tragedy thousands of miles away that brought three kids and a movement to life in Sioux City.
“To look at the fact that we’ve crossed so many barriers that typically keep us apart. Different countries, different colors, different creeds, different religions,” Dr. Meyer said about STEMM and the work to bring the “Miracle Kids” to Sioux City for treatment. “We don’t discriminate and that’s a great feel-good kind of example of how great things happen when we see how that we’re all more similar than we are dissimilar and how everybody doing their part, everybody pulling on the rope in a tug-of-war makes a difference, right? Many defeat one.”
Doreen, Wilson and Sadia are thriving today, taking their life story and making a difference.
“I always talk to them about going from being a survivor to a thriver,” Dr. Meyer said about his continued relationship with the three.
And their story of survival is already making life-changing impacts in Tanzania.
“As a result of this tragedy, there were significant decisions and resources put toward improving healthcare in Tanzania,” explained Dr. Meyer. “Where they didn’t have an ICU, they didn’t have a ventilator, they didn’t have all the things that were necessary for those kids to survive there, and now many of the hospitals have implemented the things that they were deficient in because of this. So there’s already been an impact in that country, but we think the impact can be worldwide where we can again change people’s mindsets that no matter what happens, there’s always a God.”
And miracles can happen because “nothing is impossible if we believe,” Dr. Meyer said.
The hope is that this movie can inspire other miracles around the globe.
“It can really change a lot of people’s mindset and that’s really what our ministry is about, one person at a time, learning something, being given an opportunity,” explained Dr. Meyer. “And this movie we think can be one of those movies that really changes people’s mindset on what to do and how to respond when difficult or tragic situations happen in your life that turn to God first and turn to other people around you. And with that combination, anything can happen.”
The hope is that the screenplay and casting will be completed in the coming months, and the movie will be completed by the end of 2026.
Where are they now?
The three kids, Doreen, Wilson and Sadia graduated high school in Tanzania and are back in Sioux City working on their college degrees at Western Iowa Tech Community College. Doreen is studying video and audio production, while Sadia and Wilson are taking general studies courses with a plan to major in business.
Freiberg had the students live with him, and his wife, when they first started their studies at Western Iowa Tech in 2021.
“And then beyond (WITCC), we have hopes that maybe they will transition to a four-year college and get a degree here and then likely go back to Tanzania,” said Freiberg.
There is hope that the three will finish their 4-year degrees here in Sioux City, as well.
What is STEMM?
The Siouxland Tanzania Educational Medical Ministry, also known as STEMM, is a Christian organization working to bring better care to people in Tanzania.
Created in 1996, the group took their first trip to Tanzania in 1997. The goal of STEMM is to bring medical care, educational opportunities and other assistance to the people of Tanzania.
During its time in operation, STEMM has helped bring to light the ongoing AIDS crisis in the region. STEMM helps with medical care, education, orphan care and other community development projects in Tanzania.
“To that light, we’ve sent 20,000 kids to high school and university,” said Dr. Meyer. “We have these medical outreach camps where last year we saw almost 3,000 patients in three days. We’re going back in July and we’re probably going to break that record. We have 51 beautiful orphan kids and a very poor, poor village where we provide roads and bridges and classrooms and birthing centers and we feed 5,000 kids lunch at the schools every day.”
Dr. Meyer has visited Tanzania several times since he founded STEMM and says it’s part of his life mission to help those in need and he encourages anyone who would like to get involved to reach out.
“Whether you’re medical, or agriculture, we have a big farm, we need help with our Ag project. If you’re an educator, we’re always in the schools teaching and training,” he explained. “We need volunteers here to help with PR, marketing, fundraising, and secretarial work.”
STEMM travels to Tanzania twice each year for mission work and also works with area colleges to send students to aid in the group’s mission.
Freiberg says attending a mission is a life-changing experience.
“The reason I’m involved with this is, I was just really challenged when I got there and I just saw some challenging circumstances, but I saw joy,” explained Freiberg. “I looked at my own life and I thought, you know what? Like, I struggle with some things. And then I looked at where I live versus where they live. There’s a joy about the people that really touched my heart. That’s what got me involved and that’s why I’m still here.”
If you’d like to help in STEMM’s mission in Tanzania here or abroad, there are several ways to get involved, visit STEMM.org.
Want to get the latest news and weather from Siouxland’s News Source? Follow these links to download our KTIV News app and our First Alert Weather app.
Copyright 2025 KTIV. All rights reserved.
发表回复