Sara Helps Save a Child’s Heart

July 20, 2011 by Henry Benjamin
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Three years ago, Sara Isman visited the SACH house in Israel…this year she returned as a volunteer to work with the organisation…Save A Child’s Heart.

Sara Isman with three new friends

In 2008, Isman visited the home in Holon as part of the March of the Living program.

The SACH house is a houses children and their mothers or guardians from all over the world…children visiting Israel to receive heart surgery unavailable at home and performed on them voluntarily by Israeli surgeons.

Sara Isman

Isman was so impressed that on her return to Melbourne in 2008, she organised fund-raising for the project from her own school, Yavneh College together with The King David School and Mount Scopus College.

This year, the 19-yr-old from Caulfield North, returned to Israel in her Gap Year participating in the  Zionist Federation of Australia’s MASA program. The prgram finished a few weeks ago and Sara Isman  moved into the SACH House to volunteer for three weeks.

She told J-Wire from Holon: “My heart was set on this the day I first picked up one the kids. We spend time playing with the children both before and after their surgery and assisting their mothers or carers. The children here at the moment are from Angola, Zanzibar, Ethiopia and other African countries. They are here for life-saving heart surgery and I am over the moon about being able to participate by offering physical help. I really enjoy working with children. ”

SACHS House was started in 1996. A spokesperson told J-Wire: “The open heart surgery team has performed operations on more than 2,600 children from 42 countries. They have also saved the lives of children from the West Bank and Gaza and bring children in from there on a weekly basis with all border and check-point issues waived.”

Save a Child’s Heart is an independent charity which is non-political and treats children from all races and religions. It founder, Dr Ami Cohen, died in a tragic accident in 2001 while climbing Mt Kilimanjaro. Next month, a team of doctors, volunteers and supporters will also make an ascent on the mountain, Africa’s highest, to raise $1 million which will be targeted to save the lives of 100 African children.

Sara Isman will return to Melbourne shortly. She plans to study Health Sciences and Social Work at Monash University.

But SACH House will remain on her agenda. A function to raise funds has already been planned in Melbourne for early August.

To support the funds drive generated by the Kilimanjaro ascent…click here

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