I am honored to report on Save a Child's Heart (SACH). Prior to serving on the CUJF Allocations Committee, I did not know about this organization. Learning about SACH was a revelation. With CUJF funding, we pay to save the life of a child born with one or more heart defects. This is something most of us could not do on our own. Together we help SACH save a life.
SACH does not discriminate based on religion or country of origin, saving the lives of children from all over the world, mostly from undeveloped areas who, without the surgery, would die. SACH also saves Israeli children. In fact, the surgeries take place in Israel and children from other countries travel with a parent or guardian to Israel to spend at a month in Israel for pre-operative, surgery, and post-operative care.
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs regards Save a Child’s Heart as the "Jewel in the Crown of Diplomatic Relations."
As noted by Rabbi David Litwack, SACH’s U.S. Executive Director, “No other Israeli organization shows the humanitarian side of Israel better than SACH, which generates the most positive stories about Israel year in and year out in the global media.”
SACH’s new Israeli Children’s Hospital, the Wolfson Medical Center, will serve 10% of Israel’s children and house the Middle East’s first international pediatric cardiac care center.
During the 2019-2020 allocation cycle, CUJF donated $7500 to the organization. In essence, CUJF’s funds pay for one cardiac surgery. The entire process includes pre-op care, travel expenses (if necessary), and post-op care costing $15,000. The SACH organization budget is just under $3 million.
SACH was founded in 1996. CUJF has been a SACH donor since 2013. SACH has served between 250 and 400 children annually for the last 10 years.
Save a Child’s Heart has transformed pediatric cardiac care in developing countries. More recently, they train cardiac surgeons and medical teams from developing countries so that children can be operated on in their home country, saving many more children's lives.
The COVID-19 pandemic shut SACH down for a couple months in spring 2020. Sadly, several children died due to lack of care during that time. SACH is now back to full operation.
Words cannot convey the impact of SACH on these sick children, their parents, and the societies from which they come. CUJF should be proud of our support of SACH. Please look at this short video for more of a glimpse into this remarkable organization.