Three years after the end of South Sudan’s civil war, the country’s healthcare system has descended into chaos. Special treatments, such as those required for children with congenital heart defects, can no longer be carried out by local doctors. That’s why the Tel Aviv-based non-profit organization IsraAID, together with the NGO Save a Child’s Heart, have been planning lifesaving procedures for four such children – Gai, 8 years old, Habiba, 6 years old, Phillip, 5 years old, and Joel, 5 years old – by bringing them to Israel for treatment. After three years of planning, the time has finally come and the four are being flown from their home, a refugee camp in Juba, to Israel.
This is the first time that the organization Save a Child’s Heart is working with communities in South Sudan. Shachar May from the organization IsraAID hopes that more children will follow in the future. IsraAID has identified around 100 children in South Sudan who need similar treatment. The children traveling this week were first seen during a Save a Child’s Heart mission in South Sudan in March 2019, but their treatment has been severely delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The children are coming to Israel with their mothers and one with his aunt, where they will remain throughout the treatment, which will last a few months. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs paid for the flights for the children and their companions as part of an initiative bringing children from 25 African countries to Israel to mark the 25th anniversary of Save a Child’s Heart. The organization also helps other children from war zones, such as Ukraine, as well as children from the Gaza Strip.
Article by Katharina Hoeftmann
