Gift of Life International works to provide treatment to children with heart disease from emerging countries. While our traditional focus of helping one child at a time continues to save many children's lives, our strategic focus to develop sustainable pediatric cardiac surgery, catheterization and aftercare programs in select emerging countries has been at the core of our global mission to bring hope to children who suffer from heart disease. We envision a world in which doctors and nurses are empowered to care for the children of their country with the support of their government and local community. No one organization can develop a sustainable pediatric cardiac program in an emerging country. We are fortunate to have like-minded partners working with us throughout the world to empower local healthcare professionals to care for their own children in a reliable, sustainable manner. Gift of Life is built upon the Global Network of Rotary and our 84 autonomous Gift of Life affiliates. In connecting the world, we are able to maximize the power of partnership through the mobilization of Rotarians, like-minded organizations, health care facilities and professionals and volunteers. This all translates into more and more children being helped each year. There always will be a next child and partnership allows for us to continuously reach children who otherwise would not receive the care they need!

In 2009, Gift of Lift International created the strategy to focus on developing sustainable pediatric cardiac surgery, catheterization and aftercare programs in select countries. The following criteria was established for the selection of our Core Programs:
1) Supportive and invested government
2) Motivated and involved hospital administration
3) Established pediatric cardiac surgery program
4) Existing in-country, non-governmental organization to support the program

Our strategies to achieve success in our Core Programs include:
1) Training and Empowerment of local healthcare professionals, enhancing their skill level and enabling them to successfully treat children in their country of birth
2) Acquisition of essential equipment, supplies and medications allowing for surgeries to be completed on a reliable and sustainable basis in each Core Country
3) Aftercare follow-up of each child treated to ensure them a healthy future
4) Continued development of partnerships with local governments, hospital administrations, like-minded partners/NGO's, corporations and local businesses to sustain the logistical and financial needs of the program

Gift of Life International has also developed strategies to bring hope to children living in despair in our three Countries of Focus (Haiti, The Philippines and Kosova) through our screening and medical missions. These countries do not fall within our criteria to be selected as a Core Program. However, the need is so great that we have developed alternative strategies to help as many of these children as possible. Screening missions will work to develop national pediatric cardiac waiting lists so that children are properly diagnosed and placed on a list to be selected for treatment at affiliated Gift of Life hospitals. Medical missions will serve as a method to decrease the long waiting lists of children waiting for their second chance at life. During these missions, strategies will be formed to assemble cohesive local medical teams and gradually implement training programs with the goal of providing hope to the children suffering from heart disease in these countries on a reliable basis in the future.

GOLI's CEO develops a country-specific strategy for each of our programs around the world. These strategies are developed in partnership with local healthcare professionals, hospital administrators, NGO's, Rotarians and Ministries of Health. These partnerships help to ensure that all in-country partners are supportive of strategies and share a common goal of healing the hearts of children in their country of birth. Each of our Core Programs has an in-country affiliate which has been established as a premier pediatric cardiac NGO. These affiliates oversee the development of each program on a daily basis and work in tandem with the Gift of Life International CEO to ensure strategies are followed and goals are met. Each NGO is well respected and works together with local government officials, hospital administrators, healthcare professionals, and local businesses to facilitate the logistics of each program and raise funds to help support its sustainability. Once Core Programs reach Legacy Status, the affiliate continues to oversee the program and raise funds locally to maintain sustainability. All affiliates are provided guidance by GOLI CEO, Rob Raylman. In our Countries of Focus, local Gift of Life programs work in tandem with the Gift of Life International CEO to coordinate logistics for screening and medical missions. These Gift of Life programs also help to coordinate travel for children traveling from their country to affiliated hospitals for treatment.

Results of each program are tracked and recorded in a collaborative effort between local healthcare professionals, in-country affiliated NGO's and Gift of Life International. Reports are regularly assembled to show the progress of each program as well as the overall accomplishments of our global efforts. Some indications of progress being made include an increase in the number of surgeries being performed on a reliable basis, an increase in the complexity of surgeries performed and maintaining a mortality rate of less than 5%.

Our expert partner medical teams also provide insight as to the progress being made in each country based on their training and evaluation of the skill level of the local teams and patient outcomes. Through these assessments, strategies are put in place for future training to ensure continued progress in the enhancement of skills of the entire pediatric cardiac medical team in each program.

Increased financial commitments in program countries are also an indication of progress being made towards the sustainability of each program. It is essential to obtain this support in each project country to ensure sustainability for the future.

Gift of Life International keeps records of every child operated through our global network and through this data is able to track the progress of individual programs as well as our global impact.

Gift of Life International has evolved from treating one child at a time to developing sustainable pediatric cardiac surgery, catheterization and aftercare programs in select countries. Through this evolution, Gift of Life programs worldwide have treated over 36,000 children from 80 countries across 5 continents and are now providing care to more than 3,000 children each year with heart disease. Since we began our focus of developing sustainable pediatric cardiac programs in 2009, two of our four Core Programs have achieved Legacy Status and are now sustainable pediatric cardiac programs and are treating children in their country of birth on a reliable basis. These programs now offer optimal care to children with state-of-the-art equipment and a fully trained and cohesive medical team. Children who previously had no hope of treatment are now being operated at a very young age by doctors and nurses in their own country. The burden on the healthcare system in these Legacy countries has been greatly reduced with the success of these programs. Gift of Life International is proud of our global network of caring, which is strengthened by partnerships with like-minded organizations, Rotary International, NGO's and medical professionals who share one common goal: Providing hope to as many children with heart disease as possible. Our like-minded partners and expert medical teams now span 5 continents and support our focused efforts to develop sustainable pediatric cardiac programs in our Core Countries as well as providing cardiac care to children around the world. Our Signature Initiatives set us apart as a leader in caring for children treated and go beyond the walls of the hospital to help ensure a healthy future for each child through nutritional, aftercare and humanized care programs. Each of these programs has been developed and implemented by Gift of Life to help meet the needs of the children treated and their families as they begin their new journey filled with hope for a healthy future.