Global Alliance for Rheumatic and Congenital Hearts

05/26/2026

🎉 Congratulations to Professor Liesl Zuhlke for winning the prestigious 2026 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Award Laureate for Africa and the Arab States in the field of Life and Environmental Sciences. Dr. Zuhlke is a founding member of the Global ARCH Medical Advisory Council and a true pioneer in treating children with rheumatic ( ) and congenital heart disease ( ), particularly in underserved populations.

Global ARCH has been extremely fortunate to have benefited from Dr. Zuhlke's guidance and vast wealth of knowledge and experience. We are very proud of you ❤️.

05/25/2026

Global ARCH is so proud of Suchismita Halder and her fellow moms for bucking the norms and getting published in a medical journal that challenges the status quo. The article - Challenges faced and lessons learnt while trying to review CHD care in India from parents’ perspective - will be all too familiar to non-medical advocates. It stresses "Incorporating lived experience into CHD policymaking is essential for creating pathways that are realistic, equitable, and aligned with the everyday challenges faced by the CHD
families."
Congratulations to all!

05/20/2026

For anyone who want to learn more about congenital heart disease and exercise this is a great article. Some exercise is almost always better than no exercise, no matter what the heart defect is.

What nobody told us parents about exercise — and what it has cost our children

05/02/2026

Global ARCH’s first Summit in Latin America brought together a powerful community united by a shared purpose. Across organizations, countries, and experiences, we came together to connect, learn, and move forward as one.

This is what collaboration looks like.
This is how change happens.

Together, we are building the future of lifelong care for childhood-onset heart disease.

A special thank you to Kardias for hosting us and making this gathering possible.

Thank you to the organizations who made this possible:
CardioChavitos, Menudos Corazones, Global ARCH, Corazón de Niño, Kardias, Fundación ABC, Bebe Cardio, Fundación María, Fundación Corazoncitos, Fundacion Latidos.

Be part of what comes next.

GlobalHealth HealthEquity StrongerTogether Collaboration HeartHealth NonprofitLeadership GlobalImpact

03/12/2026

Global ARCH couldn't be prouder of its African member organizations for presenting TWO incredible meetings.

On February 13, Brave Little Hearts Zimbabwe Brave Little Hearts S.A. Rheumatic and Congenital Hearts Mended Hearts Patient's Association, and Tanzania Radiant Hearts, hosted a virtual Summit in celebration of Congenital Heart Disease Awareness Week featuring heart specialists and patient organization leaders. Brave Little Hearts Zimbabwe founder Tendai Moyo opened the summit speaking about the importance of access to lifesaving care: "Global evidence shows that mortality is driven not by lack of medical knowledge, but by late diagnosis, referral pathways, workforce shortages, and inequitable access."

On February 27 during Childhood Heart Disease Month, Brave Little Hearts Zimbabwe successfully hosted the Zimbabwe Chapter of the 1st Patient-Led African Childhood Heart Disease Summit in Bulawayo.

You can read more, access the Virtual summit recording, and read the press release for the Feb 27 summit at https://global-arch.org/news/african-region-childhood-heart-disease-summit-recording-available/

Congratulations to all for your incredible hard work and tireless advocacy.

02/23/2026

At Global ARCH, we are building a global movement through the Global Coalition for Pediatric & Congenital Hearts to change these outcomes — and we need your voice.

We are calling for urgent action to:
1️⃣ Improve patient access to lifesaving heart care.
2️⃣ Train and retain enough specialized healthcare providers.
3️⃣ Secure sustainable financing for pediatric and congenital cardiac services.
4️⃣ Invest in research that advances prevention and treatment.

Heart disease in children and young people is not a rare issue. It is a global health equity crisis.

Add your name. Raise your voice. Help us demand systems that allow every heart child and adult — everywhere — to survive and thrive. 💙
bit.ly/46suFxW

Children's HeartLink

02/17/2026

We're all so sorry to hear about Dom's passing. If you didn't have the honour of knowing him, he was an amazing CHD advocate, especially for those in underserved parts of the world. He was young and energetic and was changing the world for the better. RIP Dom, we'll miss you.

02/16/2026

COLD. HARD. FACTS.
• 1 in 4 children with congenital heart disease (CHD) will need lifesaving heart care in their first year of life.
• In low- and middle-income countries — where most of the world lives — up to 90% of children with CHD lack access to the care they need to survive.
• At least 50 million people worldwide live with rheumatic heart disease (RHD) — a largely preventable condition — and 350,000 die each year.
• 96% of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
• 70% are children and young adults with RHD are under 25.

Where a child is born should not determine whether they live or die.

At Global ARCH, we are building a global movement through the Global Coalition for Pediatric & Congenital Hearts to change these outcomes — and we need your voice.

We are calling for urgent action to:
1️⃣ Improve patient access to lifesaving heart care.
2️⃣ Train and retain enough specialized healthcare providers.
3️⃣ Secure sustainable financing for pediatric and congenital cardiac services.
4️⃣ Invest in research that advances prevention and treatment.

Heart disease in children and young people is not a rare issue. It is a global health equity crisis.

Add your name. Raise your voice. Help us demand systems that allow every heart child and adult — everywhere — to survive and thrive. 💙
bit.ly/46suFxW
Children's HeartLink

02/12/2026

Please register for this event happening on February 13 (tomorrow)! There's a fantastic line-up of speakers - you can view the agenda and register here https://global-arch.org/event/african-virtual-summit/

02/12/2026

Where you’re born should never decide whether you live.

In high-income countries, 90% of babies born with heart defects survive into adulthood.

In low- and middle-income countries, 90% of children with CHD die – not because care doesn’t exist, but because access doesn’t exist.

This is a global health equity failure. And it’s one we can change.

Join the Global ARCH Global Coalition for Pediatric & Congenital Hearts, and add your voice to the movement demanding equitable, lifelong heart care for every child – everywhere.
https://bit.ly/46suFxW