31/07/2026
From Rwanda to India… A Journey of Hope
In 2012, Aishwarya Trust took its first international step in the fight against congenital heart disease by organising an “African Mission” outreach program across several countries - Kenya, Rwanda Sudan Burundi Nigeria and Uganda. Led by Dr K.R. Balakrishnan, along with Dr Suresh Rao, Dr Ravi Kumar and Ms. Chitra Viswanathan, Co-founder of Aishwarya Trust, the mission sought to bring hope to underprivileged children born with congenital heart defects.
Among the many families who attended the screening camp was Benjamin Ngarambe and his two-year-old son, Abner from Rwanda. During the evaluation, Abner was diagnosed with a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD)—a congenital heart defect that required corrective surgery.
The diagnosis was overwhelming, but it also brought hope. Dr K.R. Balakrishnan explained that Abner's condition could be successfully treated. Aishwarya Trust assured the family that the cost of the surgery and hospital stay would be fully covered, removing the financial burden that stood between Abner and a healthy future.
With renewed hope, Benjamin and his wife travelled thousands of miles from Rwanda to Chennai, India, determined to give their little boy a second chance at life. Abner underwent successful corrective surgery and made an uneventful recovery before returning home to Rwanda.
Today, fourteen years later, Abner is a healthy, energetic 16-year-old with a bright future ahead of him.
Recently, Benjamin reconnected with Dr K.R. Balakrishnan and the Aishwarya Trust team, sharing a recent photograph of Abner—a young man full of life and promise. For everyone who had cared for him as a little boy, it was a deeply moving reminder of why this work matters.
Abner's story was just the beginning. Aishwarya Trust's outreach across Africa touched many more lives, helping more than 75 children from several African countries receive life-saving heart surgery and a second chance at life.
What began as one family's journey across continents became a lasting legacy of hope, compassion and lives transformed.
Every child deserves the chance to grow up healthy. Every child deserves a future.
