Children’s Heart: so many little hearts beating fast again

THE PROBLEM IN NUMBERS

1 million

babies are born with congenital heart defects worldwide each year.

50%

is the percentage of those who risk their lives for lack of pediatric heart surgery within the first few years.

Duration:

2005-ongoing

Location:

Africa (Eritrea, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe) – Asia (Myanmar, Nepal) – Europe (Albania).

Beneficiaries:

Children with congenital or acquired heart disease, who, thanks to the missions of volunteer doctors, undergo screening, life-saving operations, and post-operative follow-up in the countries where they live. Where it is not possible to perform operations locally, children are housed and treated in Italy or Romania.
Local medical personnel, who are trained during the missions, through scholarships or e-learning, to be able to independently treat children with heart disease.
Hospital facilities, which are upgraded to ensure quality health services to the poorest and most vulnerable population groups.

Team:

The program is directly managed by our Foundation: Giulia Albano, our Project Manager, defines its strategy, countries and methods of intervention. Scientific Advisor is Dr. Stefano Marianeschi, Head of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery at ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda in Milan. More than 100 pediatric cardiac surgery healthcare professionals are volunteering from Italy, Spain, the UK and the USA.
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Results:
in 2020, restrictions imposed by the pandemic caused all surgical missions abroad to be suspended. Nevertheless, thanks to the local medical staff trained over the years by our volunteer doctors, we have saved the lives of 62 children with heart disease around the world and supported in Zimbabwe the follow-up of another 70 children operated on in previous years.