New
Initiatives
Currently the WCTF is raising funds for the following
projects:
Mexico
The World Children’s Transplant Fund just began “Project
Mexico” in 2009. As of this writing in June, 2009, the team has visited
the Guadalajara area, met with a Hospital Director and Transplant
Surgeons in Mexico, and visited Mexican Hospitals at various
socio-economic levels. All initial efforts have been focused on a
primary task—to see where and how the assistance of the WCTF would have
the most impact to help the most children in Mexico receive lifesaving
transplant surgery.
Project Mexico is working to identify individuals, groups
and organizations which will help us achieve this vital purpose. Thus
far, we have communicated with good people in both the United States and
abroad. These generous and insightful professionals have vowed to help
us explore future financing, problem-solving and publicity
opportunities. Some of these early new partners include:
- Doctors and Lawyers
- Political Figures
- Media Experts and Artists
- Universities and Professors
- One Legacy, an organ donation advocates’
group
- Donate Life (Done Vida) California
- California Transplant Donor Network
- Department of Immunology and Immunogenetics,
Mexico, DF
With all we have learned thus far, we have developed the
following short-term goals:
Find an Executive Director—With the limited funds
available, WCTF must find a dedicated individual who can raise money,
raise awareness, and build a strong team which will ultimately make
organ transplantations in Mexico more attainable.
Establish a working office in Mexico—Sites are currently
being considered.
Form a Board of Directors for Project Mexico—This Board
would contain people of character and compassion, who have the
professional backgrounds and life skills to overcome the obstacles to
transplantation which exist today in Mexico.
Establish a Memorandum of Understanding—By reviewing
model agreements drawn up in Costa Rica, Armenia and other nations, WCTF
hopes to quickly establish a working document for the country of Mexico.
Create an Operational Plan--With each passing week, we
are learning just how deeply the challenges in Mexico span a wide range
of medical, educational, religious, logistical, legal, governmental and
economic issues. Therefore, we are drawing up an initial plan to
identify key obstacles and to craft meaningful solutions, led by strong
people who are compelled to succeed.
Armenia
WCTF opened its center in Yerevan, Armenia in 2002. The
first challenge in Armenia was to assist in the preparation of
legislation that would enable organ transplantation to take place as
well as to ban the sale of organs.
The legislation passed in limited form (allowing
living-related transplantation procedures among family members, as well
as certain other types of transplantation).
Since that time, the Armenia chapter has been active in
fundraising and in introducing the concept of organ transplantation to
the country by funding cornea transplants among several children whose
sight had been lost in accidents.
The public awareness campaigns surrounding these
procedures have increased the visibility of transplantation in Armenia
while reducing the fear and uncertainty surrounding this type of
surgery.
The next steps in Armenia are to assist in passing
legislation which allows living organ transplantation from unrelated
donors (for kidney transplants among unrelated persons) and to begin
training physicians from various hospitals in Yerevan in life-saving
organ transplantation techniques.
The WCTF in Armenia will also undertake fundraising
campaigns to procure necessary intensive care unit technology necessary
for after-care of pediatric transplant patients.
|