The Children’s Heart Fund of Ethiopia (CHFE) welcomed the President of Rotary International, for the first time, marking a significant moment in the growing partnership between Rotary and Ethiopia’s leading provider of free pediatric cardiac care.
Rotary International President Francesco Arezzo, an orthodontist by profession and serving during the 2025–2026 Rotary year, visited CHFE to witness firsthand the life-saving work being carried out through a long-standing collaboration between Rotary and CHFE.
The visit focused on reviewing the outcomes of a four-way Memorandum of Understanding signed three years ago between Rotary Club of Addis Ababa Bole, Ethiopian Airlines, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, and CHFE. The agreement has enabled 21 Ethiopian children with complex heart conditions to receive corrective cardiac surgery in India.
During the visit, President Arezzo toured the hospital’s full range of activities, including outpatient services, inpatient wards, intensive care units, operating theaters, and catheterization services. He also held in-depth discussions with the hospital’s leadership and surgical teams to better understand the scope, challenges and impact of CHFE’s work.
What left the strongest impression, however, were the stories of the children and families whose lives have been transformed.
Two of the 21 children who received surgery abroad were present during the visit, accompanied by their families. They shared their journeys, stories marked by years of breathlessness, frequent illness and the inability to attend school or play with friends.
Today, those children are active, energetic and thriving. Some of the beneficiaries include children with Down’s Syndrome, underscoring CHFE’s commitment to inclusive and equitable care.
President Arezzo expressed deep appreciation after meeting the families and observing the hospital’s work. He emphasized that partnerships like this must not only continue but expand.
President Arezzo noted that seeing children regain their health and families regain hope was profoundly moving, and said he was impressed by the professionalism, dedication, and impact of the care being delivered at CHFE, particularly in a resource-constrained setting.
The visit also served as a platform for broader discussions on the future of the partnership. Ethiopia currently faces a severe burden of pediatric heart disease, with more than 8,000 children on CHFE’s waiting list and an estimated 15,000 children nationwide in need of life-saving cardiac intervention. While the original plan under the four-way agreement aimed to support treatment for 100 children abroad, the 21 surgeries completed so far represent both meaningful progress and a reminder of the scale of unmet need.
Discussions during the visit focused on sustainability, continuity, and scale-up, including exploring opportunities to treat more children abroad, mobilize additional countries and Rotary networks, secure grants, and strengthen local capacity through training, infrastructure development, and equipment support. Commitments were made in the areas of financial support, advocacy, and expanded collaboration, signaling a shared determination to reach more children in need.
CHFE Chief Executive Officer Hiruy Ali, along with senior management, welcomed the Rotary International President and highlighted the importance of long-term, mission-driven partnerships. A representative from the Ministry of Health, Rotarian Dr. Aschalew Worku, was also in attendance, reflecting the government’s continued engagement in addressing the country’s pediatric cardiac care gap.
President Arezzo also met with members of the clinical team, including Dr. Shibikom Tamirat, pediatric and adult cardiac surgeon, to discuss the medical realities on the ground and the importance of strengthening both immediate treatment pathways and long-term local expertise.
The visit concluded with a shared understanding: while the need is immense, so too is the potential for impact when global partnerships are aligned around a common purpose.
For CHFE, which has been providing free cardiac care to Ethiopian children for decades, the visit reaffirmed the importance of international solidarity in saving young lives. For Rotary International, it underscored the tangible difference that sustained collaboration can make, not only in treating individual children, but in building systems of care that endure.
As Ethiopia continues to confront a growing burden of congenital and acquired heart disease among children, the strengthened partnership between Rotary and CHFE offers renewed hope and a clear message that no child’s life should be limited by a condition that can be treated.