Good news from Tanzania on the Heart Babies Project

Deepa Kapur, TOS National Co-ordinator for Tanzania, reports that on 28th February 2010, 11 more heart children were sent to India for open heart surgery. The youngest child was 11 months old.

Bro. Dubal (our TS Assistant General Secretary for Tanzania) and Bro. P.S. Patel (the group’s most senior member) went to the send-off function to present 11 teddy bears and US$550 to the children and their mothers. ($50 is provided per child for incidental expenses related to the travel.)
The children were delighted to receive their teddies and kept playing with them. The mothers were most relieved to have some cash on hand for small expenses along the way! Money donated by other groups is used for the cost of surgery and airfares, so these mothers literally have to rely on contributions made personally to them in order to buy small items for the journey.

Dr Kanabar gave a speech and mentioned TOS Dar es Salaam as one of the philanthropic contributors. Dr Kanabar is a pioneer of the project which started in 1979. He is also Chairman of Regency Medical Centre Hospital, where the children were taken for medical examinations before the send-off party.

“We had excellent publicity from television, newspaper and radio journalists. The news item was flashed on all local TV channels, so it certainly made the wider public aware of the work of the TOS,” said Deepa.

“Our thanks go to TOS Italy for the beautifully knitted teddies and to TOS New Zealand and TOS England for their donations. We also thank Diana Dunningham Chapotin, our International Secretary, for bringing us together in a worldwide link of TOS members for this need-based project.”
“In addition to our personally presented donations to families, it costs US$55,000 to send 11 babies and children for medical treatment, including surgery, one month's stay in India and the return airfare,” explained Deepa. “We have 7,000 children waiting in a queue to go to India for surgery. There’s lots of work to be done here!”

Well done, TOS Tanzania and all involved.

Bro. Patel presents a teddy to one of the children while Bro. Dubal photographs the event.	Mothers and children receiving their teddies and spending money for the journey from the ever-smiling TOS member, Bro Dubal.
Journalists photographing the presentations and send-off party for the ‘heart babies’.	Lions Club members who sponsor the project with a very special donor, Mr Sabodo, who contributed a major amount towards the cost of surgery. Mr Sabodo is behind the table in a white shirt; Dr Kanabar is beside him in a maroon shirt, speaking to the press.
	Mothers and children at the presentation before their journey to India for the children’s heart surgery.