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The recovery of a young boy, Alfred Morleme, provided the inspiration for our project. He underwent surgery to rectify his two clubfeet, and the operation, which took place at a local hospital, was so successful that the child can today live a normal life and is fully integrated in society. Alfred loves running and playing football. The total cost of the operation and subsequent rehabilitation was about € 700. This story touched the hearts of some people, and this private initiative led to the formation of a group of people who want to help other children lead a healthy, integrated life through voluntary donations by means of a monthly standing order or spontaneous contributions. The project was launched in the year 2000. The funds so far raised have been made available through donations provided by friends and acquaintances. With these funds we have been able to support hundreds of children, helping to radically change the lives of these children (through orthopaedic operations) or make life easier for them (by providing a wheelchair).
In 2006 we found ways and means of broadening the basis of our project.
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Contact persons: The Rev. Fr. Dr. Michael OKYEREFO is the coordinator and contact person in Ghana. Ms Ingrid-Maria BOEHM is the contact person in Austria and the initiator of Heart for Children. Her responsibilities are:
There are 2 hospitals with which we cooperate: St. Anthony's Hospital in Dzodze: Dr. Rompa, an orthopaedic surgeon, comes to Dzodze from the Netherlands in May and November each year to conduct special orthopaedic operations with Dr. Moh, an orthopaedic surgeon from Ghana. The patients are looked after by the Rev. Paschal AFESI, a Catholic priest who also teaches at St. Teresa's Teachers Training College in Hohoe, in the Volta region. We are very much indebted to the Very Rev. Msgr. Rudolph APIETU for the tremendous support he provided in the initial stages of our project. He passed away much too early on 13 September 2004, aged 72. St. Joseph's Hospital in Koforidua: Operations can be performed throughout the year at this hospital. The orthopaedic surgeon is Dr. CASUALS, from Spain. The patients are looked after by Ms Lucy Vivian BANSAH. She is a teacher in Koforidua, and given her work experience in the Children's Orthopaedic Department she is ideally suited for this task.
is where the children are sent for their rehabilitation.
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Not all families can raise the necessary funds and need guidance/care and financial support. The help we provide focuses on orthopaedic treatment. In Austria, too, there are children who are born with clubfeet and orthopaedic disabilities – Ingrid-Maria Boehm was one of them. But help is immediately assured through Austria's health-care system. In Ghana, a child remains disabled if the expertise and money are not available. Ghana for many years also lacked the resources for preventive measures against polio, resulting in many disabilities. Our goal is to support as many children as possible, depending on the financial resources at our disposal, and to change the children's lives for the better. The medical costs are settled directly with the hospital, so that donations directly benefit the persons who are supported by us. The Heart for Children project is a private initiative launched by people who simply want to help in an uncomplicated and direct manner. Our partners in Ghana are respectable and responsible people who provide a basis for effective cooperation. We can thereby guarantee the proper employment of financial resources.
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