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.