Our Mission
Healing Hearts, Building Hope:
Transforming Pediatric Cardiac Care in Ethiopia
In the heart of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a remarkable story of compassion and collaboration unfolded over the past year. For the first time, a dedicated team of specialists from Global Heart Care partnered with the Children’s Fund of Ethiopia to provide advanced cardiac care to children who might otherwise never have had the opportunity to receive it.
During this mission, in collaboration with a local team, four children underwent lifesaving open-heart surgeries, while twenty-two others received cardiac catheterization procedures. Some patients were as young as four months old. Each procedure represented a small miracle - made possible by the seamless combination of skill, teamwork, and unwavering care. These young patients are now living proof of what global partnerships can achieve when driven by hope and dedication.
The Urgent Need for Pediatric Cardiac Care in Ethiopia
Ethiopia is a nation of immense history and resilience, home to over 120 million people and more than 80 distinct ethnic groups. Despite decades of progress in education and general health, the country faces profound challenges in specialized healthcare. Thousands of children are born each year with congenital heart disease (CHD), yet access to advanced treatment remains extremely limited. The Cardiac Centre of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa is one of very few centers equipped to perform pediatric open-heart surgery, but even it can only serve a fraction of the children in need.
Among many limitations are basic supplies such as syringes, catheters, ECG electrodes, and sterile gloves, along with vital drugs like antihypertensives and anticoagulants which are often scarce or unaffordable. The lack of diagnostic tools and functional equipment like ECG machines and defibrillators further delays treatment and increases otherwise preventable death. Strengthening supply chains, supporting local production, and ensuring affordable access to these essentials are critical steps to improving cardiac outcomes and saving lives.
During its mission to Ethiopia, Global Heart Care organization delivered over $400,000 worth of essential surgical and medical equipment to support cardiac care services. The supplies included critical items such oxygenators, surgical instruments, interventional catheterization balloons, interventional devices, and other disposable materials necessary for life-saving procedures. This contribution significantly strengthened the capacity of Cardiac Centre of Ethiopia to provide timely and effective cardiac treatment, improved patient outcomes, and helped bridge the gap in access to essential healthcare resources in the region.
Global Heart Care’s mission is ambitious but vital: to bridge this gap by delivering care today while simultaneously building the local capacity to provide heart surgery independently for generations to come. By combining hands-on clinical work, mentorship, and systems development, we aim to strengthen the Cardiac Center of Ethiopia into a sustainable, high-performing pediatric cardiac program.
Building a Stronger Foundation
Ethiopia’s health infrastructure has grown steadily, yet population growth and limited resources continue to strain hospitals. Approximately 7,000 children are born with congenital heart defects each year, yet the current surgical capacity remains far below what is needed. Global Heart Care’s collaborative approach focuses on:
Expanding surgical and interventional capacity.
Training and mentoring local doctors, nurses, and technicians.
Strengthening hospital systems and care protocols.
Laying the groundwork for long-term sustainability.
By building local expertise and improving processes, we aim to dramatically reduce waiting times and ensure that more children receive timely, life-saving interventions.
Pediatric cardiac care relies on coordinated teams: surgeons, anesthesiologists, perfusionists, cardiologists, nurses, and technicians all working in concert. Global Heart Care’s volunteers work side by side with Ethiopian specialists at the Cardiac Center, ensuring that every procedure—from open-heart surgery to catheterization—is performed safely, efficiently, and with compassion.
Our focus extends beyond individual cases. We provide structured mentorship, hands-on training, and continuous program development, helping the Cardiac Center build a roadmap toward self-sufficiency. Each child treated, each skill transferred, and each procedure refined brings Ethiopia closer to a future in which all children have access to the care they need.
Multidisciplinary Teams at the Core
Our work at Addis Ababa Children’s Hospital (AACH) highlights the importance of practical, data-driven approaches to care. The hospital is Ethiopia’s primary pediatric cardiac center, housing the country’s only dedicated pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for heart patients.
Global Heart Care has introduced structured improvement programs, including the “Four Pathways” model:
Advancing Pediatric Cardiac Surgery and Intensive Care
ONE
Stabilizing the PICU environment.
TWO
Optimizing patient selection.
THREE
Transferring advanced cardiac knowledge and skills.
FOUR
Building a committed network of stakeholders.
Through workshops, bedside mentorship, and hands-on demonstrations—such as mechanical ventilation and ECMO management—local teams are increasingly capable of providing high-quality care independently.
Surgical training emphasizes complex procedures like atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) repair. Guided by our experienced volunteers, Ethiopian surgeons performed intricate surgeries on infants as young as three months, gaining the confidence to manage these challenging cases autonomously. Echocardiography training—covering transthoracic, epicardial, transesophageal, and fetal studies—further equips local physicians with advanced diagnostic skills.
Building a Network for Sustainability
Sustainable pediatric cardiac care requires more than medical expertise; it relies on a network of committed stakeholders. In Ethiopia, these include government agencies, hospital leadership, nonprofit partners, international donors, medical technology providers, and the broader community. Global Heart Care engages these stakeholders to raise awareness, secure resources, and foster long-term ownership of cardiac programs.
Looking Ahead
Global Heart Care is preparing for its next mission to Addis Ababa in May 2026 and expanding outreach with new initiatives in Botswana. Each mission serves as more than a clinical intervention—it is a bridge between hope and healing, between what is and what could be.
Our vision is simple yet profound: a world where no child’s life is cut short due to lack of access to heart care. Every donation, every partnership, and every volunteer contributes to this dream. Together, we are not just performing surgeries; we are restoring futures, reuniting families, and proving that compassion transcends borders.
With continued support, Global Heart Care will keep opening hearts, saving lives, and inspiring hope across Ethiopia—one child at a time.