The "Save a Heart" international project, aimed at saving Romanian children from disadvantaged families who have been diagnosed with serious heart defects, is being carried out by the "Save a Heart" Association and the Trafigura Swiss Foundation.

The humanitarian campaign will take place online, on https://salveazaoinima.ro/campaigns/save-a-heart-2/, and each donation made on the platform will be matched by the Swiss foundation. In the first edition, organized last year, both Romanians and foreigners donated 22,622 Euros, a sum that was doubled by Trafigura. The total of 45,244 Euros was used for the surgical interventions and postoperative treatments undergone by 19 children with serious heart defects.

The international humanitarian project was initiated by Simona Pernot, a Romanian living in Switzerland, who works for the international company Trafigura. Like last year, Simona will run, along with a group of Swiss colleagues and friends, at the Lausanne International Marathon (Switzerland) on October 30th, to convince participants from all over the world to contribute to the rescue of sick children in Romania.

The Trafigura Foundation, established in 2007, carried out 51 social responsibility programs in 29 countries last year, allocating funds of approximately 5 million dollars. The "Save a Heart" Association is the first and only organization in Romania that Trafigura collaborates with.

By the end of 2016, the "Save a Heart" Association and the Trafigura Foundation aimed to save 50 children with heart defects. Since the beginning of the year, the Romanian NGO has raised the necessary funds to save over 70 children born with various serious defects, with over 50,000 individuals and companies joining the humanitarian campaigns and donating over 700,000 Euros this year.

The Trafigura Foundation, established in 2007, has carried out 48 social responsibility programs in 35 countries to date, and from 2008 to the present, it has supported these programs with over 38 million dollars. The "Save a Heart" Association is the first and only organization in Romania that Trafigura collaborates with.

By the end of 2016, the "Save a Heart" Association aims to save 45 sick children with heart defects. Since the beginning of the year, the Romanian NGO has raised the necessary funds for the surgical interventions of 5 sick children, who were operated on at the Cardiopediatric Center, the specialized pediatric cardiac surgery center at Monza Hospital in Romania, where these interventions can be performed. The surgeries were performed by Dr. Mircea Cotul, a specialist in pediatric cardiovascular surgery, together with Dr. Antonela Mureșan, a specialist in pediatric anesthesia and intensive care. Additionally, the "Save a Heart" Association financially supported the surgeries or treatments for another 20 children and young people with various defects, with over 10,000 individuals and companies joining the humanitarian campaigns and donating over 260,000 Euros this year.

"I am glad that the Trafigura Foundation has agreed to double the funds we will raise in this campaign, and I am pleasantly impressed by the initiative of colleagues and friends to join this cause. In the end, every contribution counts to give these children a chance at life. I hope that this campaign will resonate with many kind souls and together we will succeed in saving many little hearts," said Simona Pernot, the project initiator.

"We feel very honored and delighted by Simona's initiative and by the Trafigura Foundation's involvement in this project. We hope that together, through this event and with your donations on the platform www.salveazaoinima.ro, we will save as many lives as possible. At the same time, it is an honor for us to collaborate with renowned clinics at national and international level, and thanks to exceptional doctors, many lives have been saved. It is wonderful that our humanitarian campaigns have been joined not only by many Romanians from the country and the diaspora, but also by many foreigners from all over the world. This shows that humanity still exists in the world and it is worth fighting for this value and for our children," said Vlad Plăcintă, President of the "Save a Heart" Association.

*NOTE: 47 children with serious heart defects have benefited from this project.