A Journey to Life from Terre des hommes (Tdh) is a project offering children in developing countries condemned with serious illnesses the opportunity to be treated in Switzerland.

Access to care is a fundamental right for all children. In about 30 countries Terre des hommes strives, to give access to children with basic health care and to provide especially in Africa with specialised medical care, when they need it. If a condition cannot be treated effectively locally, even when specific surgical missions are organised, the child is transferred to Switzerland for surgical treatment.
Each year, our programme of specialised care treats some 200 children, most suffering from heart disease. These children are treated at the university hospitals in Geneva and Lausanne, and, before their operations and during their convalescence, they stay at The Maison, run by Terre des hommes in Massongex (Valais). A “blue child” suffering from heart disease has to stay about 3 month in Switzerland before going back home totally cured, with a smile on his lips. A new life begins for him because he can go back to school after years of sickness!

The situation of the children

440,000 children die every year as a result of congenital malformations, more than a third of which are heart-related

Places of intervention

University hospitals in Geneva and Lausanne

Beneficiaries of the project

• 200 children cared for individually each year

Budget 2011

CHF 10’000: average costs to save a child including medical analyses, hospital, coordination and medical follow-up

More information on the programmes Journey to Life