Health for children worldwide

Cardiac transfers to Switzerland

40,000 children die each year from the consequences of congenital malformations. Tdh arranges treatment in the University hospitals of Bern (Insel), Geneva (HUG) and Lausanne (CHUV) for children suffering from heart problems that cannot be treated in their own countries. In 2013, a record number of 256 children were treated. Most of these children came from Africa (Benin, Guinea, Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Togo) and from Iraq.

Benin-Toto-Senegal: surgical missions

 Paediatric surgery missions to Benin and cardiology missions to Senegal take place four times a year and provide an essential complement to the transfer of children to Switzerland. In the autumn, a team of paediatric surgeons from the CHUV visited Togo and Benin to consult on around a hundred children; they then returned in January to carry out the operations in Abomey. Last November, more than a hundred children in Senegal were seen and seven of these were operated on, on-site.

In the camps in Kabul

 Tdh has brought aid to several thousand pregnant women and newborn babies in the camps in the Afghan capital. It is estimated that 30,000 refugees live in these makeshift camps in Kabul. The women have benefitted from pre-natal care during their pregnancy, giving birth in the presence of qualified healthcare staff and follow-up care after the birth. More than 7,000 women and teenage girls have taken part in health education sessions.

India: lack of drinking water

 Tdh aims to improve health conditions for mothers and children living in West-Bengal in Patharpratima, an area that has been hit hard by disasters. Through this project, 10,000 people will have access to safe drinking water thanks to wells and storage basins for drinking water, 250 people will have access to flood-resistant ecological latrines and finally 160,400 people will have been made aware of the best practices in terms of hygiene.

Guinea: swallowing caustic soda

 Every year in Guinea between 100 and 300 children fall victim to accidental swallowing of caustic soda. Without adequate treatment, such an accident can lead to death. Tdh supports the treatment of these children in the country and treats the most serious cases by transferring them to Europe. The best remedy being prevention, Tdh and our local partners are setting up an awareness campaign about the risks of this dangerous substance.

Tdh aims to improve health conditions for mothers and children living in West-Bengal in Patharpratima, an area that has been hit hard by disasters. Through this project, 10,000 people will have access to safe drinking water thanks to wells and storage basins for drinking water, 250 people will have access to flood-resistant ecological latrines and finally 160,400 people will have been made aware of the best practices in terms of hygiene.

Every year, Terre des hommes offers sustainable solutions and a better future for over two million children and their relatives. Learn more about our projects in the field of health and nutrition (http://www.tdh.ch/en/topics/health/health-and-nutrition).