Mending one little heart at a time, patiently and lovingly, slowly but surely, the Gift of Life project of the Rotary Club of Bombay Airport, RID 3141, has managed to provide critical paediatric and life-saving heart surgeries to over 625 children born with congenital heart diseases at a total cost of over ₹10 crore. By the end of this Rotary year, the project would have helped a total of 825 children with congenital heart problems, through six global grants, with the total funding reaching an astounding ₹14 crore.
This project has sustained over six years thanks mainly to the interest and dedication of two Rotarians — one from Mumbai (project director and past president of RC Bombay Airport Nitin Mehta, and a cancer specialist from Fort Wayne, Indiana, US, Dr Praveen Kollipara, who is a member of RC Fort Wayne, RI District 6540.
Recalling the genesis of the project, Mehta, who is an Arch Klumph Society member, said it all began during the Covid pandemic when he was approached by the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital at Navi Mumbai for help in doing heart operations on children with congenital problems. While the hospital approached him asking if he could raise some funds, he also came into contact with Dr Kollipara, “who wanted to help conduct paediatric heart surgeries on underprivileged children. He had approached few prominent Rotary clubs in our district, but was told that such a project is not doable. Somebody asked him to speak to me and he got in touch and said will you be able to do this project?”
Mehta sought 24 hours’ time to respond, did some intense homework, and reverted saying it could be done! This was in 2020–21, when he was the president of his club. “When I agreed, he said: ‘Nitinbhai, after I make a commitment, you should not later say you won’t be able to do it.’ I assured him; we started and he was very happy with the first year’s performance and said categorically: ‘Until you stop, I will not stop with this project; meanwhile I will not support any other Rotary club either.’”
They never looked back; six years have gone by, six global grants and ₹10 crore spent already for over 600 children’s heart surgeries. Even though the two Rotarians have not met in person, all the GGs have been done only through this single international partner and Dr Kollipara has remained actively engaged in this project.
Mehta is happy that his club’s Gift of Life project “offers a new lease of life to children whose futures were once uncertain. Every child deserves a healthy heart and a chance to live his/her dreams. When I see a child smile after surgery, I know we’ve given more than care — we’ve given hope. This isn’t charity; it’s humanity.”
He says last year the club members were thrilled when cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar visited the hospital and spent time with the children and their families. He said: “Meeting these brave little ones is truly moving. Their courage and the dedication of the doctors and Rotary members are inspiring. They are the real heroes. It’s amazing what timely action and a giving heart can accomplish.”
The paediatric cardiac surgeries done at the Sanjeevani Hospital provide a lifeline for babies born with heart anomalies such as holes in the heart, valve defects, or abnormal vessels. Dr Prabhatha Rashmi, senior consultant and head of Paediatric Cardiac Surgery at this hospital, explains that without timely intervention, these conditions can lead to breathlessness, repeated infections, poor growth, or worse, early death.
“Babies with heart defects often appear weak, may turn blue, and struggle to breathe or feed. These signs are not to be taken lightly. Early screening and diagnosis are vital. If treated in time, these children can live full, active lives, just like other children. Delays, however, can have fatal consequences,” she says.
A pivotal factor in the success of this initiative was the support received through GGs, “which truly embody the spirit of Rotary’s global fellowship. The magic of a GG lies in its ability to magnify local action through international partnership and strategic funding. By combining the resources of TRF, club contributions and district designated funds, such large-scale, sustainable projects are possible. This unique partnership has transformed what might have been a few individual acts of kindness into a high-impact humanitarian initiative with measurable, long-term results. It is commendable that this project was able to reach advanced cardiac care to economically disadvantaged communities.”
On the success and sustainability of this project, despite club leadership changing over the last six years, Mehta says, “From the very first GG, I have never ignored my stakeholders, and always kept them in the loop about details of this project. Whether they have donated $5,000 or $50,000, all were given the same information and progress report that increased the transparency for every penny donated. Every week I’d send them a report on how much we received from the Foundation, how much has been disbursed and what is the remaining balance!”
By the end of this Rotary year around $1.5 million would have been spent on giving their childhood back to around 825 children.
By the end of this Rotary year around $1.5 million would have been spent on “giving their childhood back to around 825 children,” as Mehta puts it. All the children are from BPL (below poverty line) families and are identified and carefully screened by the hospital. Then they are referred back to the project team which carefully scrutinises the parents’ documents, determines if they need financial help, and then gives the green signal to the hospital. Their youngest patient has been 36 hours old and the oldest 16.
This kind of surgery, Mehta adds, would cost between ₹3 and 5 lakh in a private hospital, but at Sanjeevani, the cost is between ₹1.5–2.5 lakh. Mehta gives credit to all the club presidents who succeeded him for this project running for six years without a hitch. “Yes, you are right, when club leaders change, old projects are often forgotten or neglected. Let me give credit to my presidents, my donors, other club members who have been donating regularly. Even before or just as the year starts, they come and tell me: ‘Nitin, when should I deposit the money?’ They are so excited about contributing to this project.”
He adds that apart from his own club, he has approached other Rotary clubs which have helped, including RC Berlin International, RC Serbia, RC Montenegro, RC Singapore, RC Delhi South, and half a dozen clubs from his own district, RID 3141, which are now contributing regularly.
Some CSR funding is also coming in. “And we take some of the children and parents to the contributing company, and introduce them to the entire staff, who can ask them questions directly so that they also realise what is happening with the money that their company is depositing.”
Asked what next, and how soon can he take up the number of beneficiary children from 825 to 1,000, he says, “Ma’am, 1,000 is just an arm’s length away, it is not very far. Currently we are working on a single $1million GG, which alone can help over 550 children’s operations.”