"Save a heart" Association and Swiss Foundation Trafigura are running the second edition of the international project "Save a Heart", meant to save Romanian children from disadvantaged families, who have been diagnosed with serious heart malformations.

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 doubled by the Swiss foundation. At the first edition, organized last year, both Romanians and foreigners donated 22,622 euros, an amount that was doubled by Trafigura. The total of 45,244 euros was directed for surgeries and postoperative treatments endured by 19 children with serious heart malformations.

The international humanitarian project was initiated by Simona Pernot, a Romanian living in Switzerland, who is employed by the international company Trafigura. Just like last year, Simona will run, this year, together with a group of Swiss colleagues and friends, at the International Marathon in Lausanne (Switzerland), on October 30, to convince participants from all over the world to contribute to saving sick children in Romania.

The Trafigura Foundation, established in 2007, ran 51 social responsibility programs in 29 countries last year, allocating funds of approximately $5 million. "Save a heart" Association is the first and only organization in Romania with which Trafigura collaborates.

By the end of 2016, "Save a heart" Association and Trafigura Foundation set out to save 50 children with heart malformations. Since the beginning of the year, the Romanian NGO has raised the necessary funds to save over 70 children born with various serious malformations, humanitarian campaigns being joined by over 50,000 individuals and companies, who donated over 700,000 Euros this year.

Trafigura Foundation, established in 2007, has so far run 48 social responsibility programs in 35 countries, and since 2008 has supported these programs with over 38 million dollars. "Save a heart" Association is the first and only organization in Romania with which Trafigura collaborates.

By the end of 2016, "Save a heart" Association aims to save 45 heart-sick children. Since the beginning of the year, the Romanian NGO has raised the necessary funds for the surgeries of 5 children with heart disease, who were operated at the Cardiopediatric Center, the center specialized in pediatric cardiosurgery in Monza Hospital, Romania, where these interventions can be performed. The operations were performed by the team of Dr. Mircea Cotul, primary pediatric cardiovascular surgeon, together with Dr. Antonela Mureșan, primary physician anesthesia and pediatric intensive care. At the same time, the "Save a heart" Association financially supported the operations or treatments for another 20 children and young people with various malformations, humanitarian campaigns being joined by over 10,000 people and companies, who donated over 260,000 Euros this year.

"I am glad that Trafigura Foundation has agreed to double the funds we will raise in this campaign and I am pleasantly impressed by the initiative of some 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 find an echo in many good souls and together we will be able to save many hearts", says Simona Pernot, the initiator of the project.

"We feel very honored and, at the same time, delighted with Simona's initiative and Trafigura Foundation's joining this project. We want that together, through this event, and with the help of your donations on the www.salveazaoinima.ro platform, to save as many lives as possible. At the same time, it is an honor for us to collaborate with nationally and internationally renowned clinics, and thanks to exceptional doctors, many lives have been saved. It is wonderful that not only many Romanians from the country and from the Diaspora joined our humanitarian campaigns, but also many foreigners from all over the world. This shows that humanity still exists in the world and it is worth fighting for this value for our children as well", says Vlad Placinta, president of the "Save a heart" Association.

*NOTE: Following the needleThis project benefited 47 children with serious heart malformations.