Israeli doctor taking child’s vitals- Photo by Saveachildsheart.org

According to UNICEF, there are 2.2 billion children on earth. Out of those 2.2 billion, nearly one billion children live in poverty and do not have access to proper medical treatment. Dr. Amram Cohen, a devoted Israeli physician, decided to create an organization to help alleviate this problem. He founded Save a Child’s Heart in 1995 so that money would not be an obstacle to children receiving life-saving heart surgeries. Since 1995, Save a Child’s Heart has saved nearly 3,300 children from 48 different countries. Nearly half of those children are from “Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Iraq, Syria and Morocco; more than 30% are from Africa; and the remaining are from Asia, Eastern Europe and the Americas.”

Although Dr. Cohen passed away in 2001, Save Child’s Heart has continued to expand. The organization has spread to Canada, the UK, Holland, Australia, Kenya, Switzerland, Vietnam, Ghana, and the United States and has the capability to help so many more children. There are currently 34 children receiving free heart surgeries in Israel. Hopefully, Save a Child’s Heart will continue to receive enough donations to continue saving so many lives.

There is a concept in Judaism called Tikun Olam, or repairing the world. This is the idea that Jews have a moral obligation to help those in need. Dr. Cohen devoted his life to this concept and the volunteers at Save a Child’s Heart have certainly continued his work. Tikun Olam is a concept that every person should take on, regardless of race, religion, or nationality. No person is exempt from the obligation to help others in need and no children should die from heart disease because of a lack of money. Please consider donating to this wonderful Israeli organization. You may save a child’s heart.

To donate to Save a Child’s Heart, check out- http://www.saveachildsheart.org/Templates/HomePage/207-en/Sach.aspx

For more information on Save a Child’s Heart, check out- http://www.saveachildsheart.org/

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/20/world/meast/syria-heart-surgery-girl/

For more information on children in poverty, check out- http://www.unicef.org/sowc05/english/poverty.html

For more information of Dr. Rami Cohen, check out- http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/24/world/dr-amram-j-cohen-47-provided-heart-surgery-to-poor-children.html