The Jerusalem Post is reporting about a 4 year old Syrian refugee girl that has been brought to Israel by the charity “Save a Child’s Heart” (or SACH for short) for life saving heart surgery.
It’s an unprecedented story – a refugee child from Syria, maybe Israel’s most bitter enemy, brought to Israel two weeks ago for heart surgery, a decision doctors said saved her life.
Its definitely worth reading the whole article as it goes into the complexities of juggling the obvious PR ramifications/opportunities of such an endeavour.
It appears to be a complicated balancing act for the charity; on the one hand they seek out the PR such operations bring, especially one as remarkable as bringing a girl from Syria to Israel for life-saving surgery, but on the other hand, they realize that the very media exposure that creates the PR could potentially jeopardize the girl’s safety back home and her ability to return to Israel to finish her surgery. Such exposure could also potentially deter the parents of future children in need from Iraq, over 200 of which have been treated in Israel through SACH.
Indeed! Its also worth checking out SACH’s website. From their Mission Statement:
Save a Child’s Heart (SACH) is an Israeli-based international humanitarian project, whose mission is to improve the quality of pediatric cardiac care for children from developing countries who suffer from heart disease and to create centers of competence in these countries. SACH is totally dedicated to the idea that every child deserves the best medical treatment available, regardless of the child’s nationality, religion, color, gender or financial situation.
SACH is motivated by the age-old Jewish tradition of Tikkun Olam – repairing the world. By mending the hearts of children, regardless of their origin, SACH is contributing to a better and more peaceful future for all of our children.
If you have ever wondered what is the REAL meaning of “Tikkun Olam” and wanted a good practial example of it in action, you will find it there.
