CHDFNigeria
When Access Becomes the Difference Between Life and Death
Somewhere in Nigeria, a parent is listening closely, not for silence, but for breath.
Moments earlier, a doctor at a primary healthcare centre had delivered a diagnosis: congenital heart disease. What follows is often uncertainty, of access, cost, and survival.
For many children born with congenital heart disease (CHD), survival is not only about diagnosis or treatment. It is about access.
Each year, over 85,000 children are born with CHD in Nigeria. Yet, less than 1% receive the surgery they need. For most families, the cost of treatment, often around $10,000, remains out of reach.
In these moments, the gap between life and loss is not medicine.
It is access.
Introducing Hearts Without Borders
In response to this urgent need, the Congenital Heart Disease Foundation of Nigeria is launching Hearts Without Borders—a surgical intervention program designed to expand access to life-saving cardiac care for children.
Through strategic partnerships with the Global Cardiac Alliance and Centre Médical Diamant (DRC), the program connects Nigerian children from low-income families to:
- Open-heart surgeries
- Catheter-based interventions
- Intensive care and recovery support
This initiative is built on a simple but powerful belief:
No child should be denied care because of where they are born or what they can afford.
Understanding the Gap
While medical advancements have transformed CHD outcomes globally, access remains uneven, particularly in under-resourced settings.
Key barriers continue to limit care:
- High cost of surgery and treatment
- Limited specialised centres
- Delayed diagnosis and referrals
- Workforce and infrastructure gaps
CHD care is not a single intervention. It requires a full system, from early detection to long-term follow-up. When any part of that system is weak, children are lost.
The 2026 Mission
As part of this initiative, CHDFNigeria is preparing for a surgical mission in June 2026, during which up to 10 children (RACHS 1–2 cases) will receive life-saving interventions.
To make this possible, a 6-week fundraising campaign has been launched with a target of $100,000.
This funding will cover:
- Surgical procedures
- Hospital and ICU care
- Travel logistics for children and caregivers
- Immediate post-operative support
Each child represents more than a case.
Each child represents a future waiting to happen.
Beyond Surgery: Building Sustainable Impact
While this mission focuses on immediate intervention, Hearts Without Borders is part of a broader vision.
The goal is to:
- Expand access to cardiac care through partnerships
- Increase the frequency of surgical missions
- Strengthen referral and follow-up systems
- Improve awareness and early diagnosis
Sustainable impact requires more than treatment; it requires systems that work.
Our Shared Responsibility
Improving outcomes for children with CHD requires collective action.
Healthcare providers, organisations, governments, corporate partners, and individuals all have a role to play in closing this gap.
No single effort is enough.
But together, meaningful change is possible.
How You Can Help
As this campaign begins, there are several ways to be part of the impact:
- Donate: to support life-saving surgeries
- Refer a child who may need intervention
- Share the campaign: to increase awareness and reach
Every action contributes to a larger outcome.
For too many children, congenital heart disease is not a death sentence; it is a condition that can be treated.
What stands in the way is access.
Hearts Without Borders is a step toward changing that reality, ensuring that more children receive the care they need, when they need it.
Where a child is born should never determine whether they live.
Every heartbeat matters, and together, we can give more children a second chance at life.
