Save a Child’s Heart has treated more than 8,500 children from 75 countries since its founding in 1995, according to officials at the organisation’s headquarters in Holon.
Speaking in an interview with The High Street Journal’s Nii Marmah Boye, Liel Asulin, Director of Resource Development at Save a Child’s Heart, said the organisation operates entirely on private philanthropy.
The charity was founded by the late Dr. Amram “Ami” Cohen, an American cardiac surgeon who moved to Israel and began bringing children from Ethiopia to Israel for lifesaving care. The patient list has since expanded to include children from countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, South America and the Middle East.
According to Asulin, the organisation operates through three primary programmes. Children are flown to Israel for surgery and housed with accompanying relatives at an on-site Children’s Home in Holon. Israeli doctors also travel abroad on short missions to screen and treat patients alongside local clinicians. In addition, the organisation trains medical staff in partner countries so that, over time, more children can be treated locally. As of this year, the organisation’s patient cohort ranges from 25 to 40 children at any one time.
More than 170 medical professionals have been trained through the programme, Asulin said. Ariella Lazarus, the Grants and Development Associate noted that the programme has led more than 140 medical missions.
Lazarus, who grew up in South Africa, said she witnessed healthcare inequalities that deeply affected her.
“My whole dream is helping people who don’t have access to the care that is needed,” Lazarus said.
Children reach the programme through various channels, including referrals from medical professionals, hospitals, journalists, government channels, and parents who upload medical reports through the organisation’s website.
The cost of treating a child, including the hospital procedure, accommodation at the Children’s Home, and airfare, is approximately $15,000. Surgeons donate their time, which keeps the cost at that level.
The organisation runs affiliate offices in the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and several European countries.
In Zambia, Save a Child’s Heart has marked more than ten years of partnership and purchased a new heart-lung machine for the partner hospital. The organisation has also sent a Zambian perfusionist to begin a year of training in Israel. She will return as Zambia’s first female perfusionist.
Save a Child’s Heart has treated children from Ghana, including a girl named Daniella Nzikan Joshua who first came to Israel for cardiac treatment in 2020. She has since returned for follow-up care in 2022 and 2025. The organisation has built a network of medical professionals and contacts in Ghana to find and refer cases.
Asulin said the charity’s focus on cardiac care is rooted in its founder’s specialty. However, because the organisation operates within a larger hospital system, children sometimes receive additional care, including eye surgery and other procedures.
