Participating Schools

We believe that every child deserves a chance to live a healthy and fulfilling life and to become the best that they can be, no matter their background. We created the Young Hearts Africa Schools Sports Initiative in order to spread awareness and raise donations to make a difference in the lives of children suffering with congenital heart disease. Currently over 4000 young children die of CHD in South Africa every year.

We chose to involve schools in this journey because we believe with the help and support of caring parents and donors we can bring a change to families that do not have access to private healthcare or the funding to pay for life-saving surgery.

Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) is an enormous problem in Low/Middle income countries and particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. There are an estimated 500,000 children born in Africa with CHD each year with a major proportion of this in sub-Saharan Africa. The vast majority of these children receive little to no care at all.

we have an estimated 60 million people in South Africa and at best there is only 1 cardiologist for every 356 450 people. 5 out of 9 provinces have NO cardiologist to assist with healthcare in state facilities!

Our core objectives of this initiative are to:

1. Raise funds for the life-saving heart surgeries needed for the survival of children suffering with CHD, as well as to raise funds for our greater initiative.
2. To raise funds to facilitate an ongoing training programme for both surgeons and supporting staff required to facilitate these heart surgeries.
3. To raise national and international awareness of YOUNG HEARTS AFRICA and its cause.

It takes 13+ years to qualify as a paediatric cardiologist. Right now, there are only about 170 registered cardiologists in SA and there are less than 10 practicing in our state healthcare system.

South Africa’s private medical system serves 16% of our population and has around 140 cardiologists practicing, which gives people in the private system suffering with CHD a fighting chance, whereas our public healthcare serves 84% of our population with less than 30 cardiologists nationally. Frightening, isn’t it?

Approximately 11,000 babies in South Africa are born with a heart disease annually. Almost 5000 will die without the intervention of heart surgery. 25% of babies born with CHD require surgery to survive their first year, with a shortage of cardiologists in the public healthcare system they don’t stand a fighting chance.