Tibet has a high congenital heart disease rate of around 7%, its cause due to a range of different factors. While operation is considered a standard and effective medical solution to congenital heart disease, hospitals in Tibet are generally not equipped nor staffed for the procedure. Rather, timely diagnosis and treatment can greatly improve children’s survival rate and live a healthy life by beating the odds of congenital heart disease, a leading cause of birth defect-related deaths.

To address this identified need, ZeShan Foundation and Si Yuan Foundation pooled funds to support the “Touching Hearts in Tibet” project. This humanitarian effort included the purchase and installation of a Bi-plane Catheterization laboratory and the construction of a 16-bed paediatric intensive care at the Tibetan People’s Hospital in Lhasa, both the first of its kind at this institution. In the first phase of the project, five Tibetan doctors received training from volunteer doctors from China, Singapore, Malaysia and the United States, whose time and expertise have contributed to the saving of many children’s lives at the facility since the project’s inception. The government contributed $800,000 to put the facility in full operation, which now allows every child up to the age of 18 with congenital heart disease in Tibet to receive free heart care at this institution.

ZeShan joined its sister foundation, Seeds Foundation, in supporting a partnership between Stanford University and Christian Friends of Korea in their effort towards capacity development in public health through the US-DPRK Tuberculosis Project, which was executed in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Initiated in 2008, the project was developed to promote opportunities for professional and academic engagement with North Korea, specifically with a focus on mutual interests in tuberculosis control. The project mobilized financial, technical, and volunteer resources from private donors, the Global Health & Security Initiative of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, WHO/DPRK joint planning, and many DPRK Ministry of Public Health staffers. ZeShan and Seeds’ donation helped underwrite associated expenses for the renovation and fitting of DPRK’s national TB monitoring and diagnosis centre. The success of the project was an instructive example of how international NGOs and government agencies overcame systemic obstacles and political mistrust for the good of the ordinary citizens.

From 2007 to 2009, ZeShan Foundation supported a paediatrician training program implemented by the British Columbia Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, Canada and the Children’s Hospital of Fudan University in Shanghai.  The program was targeted towards junior and mid-ranking paediatricians in China, and offered 22 doctors the opportunity to receive advanced training in infectious diseases and emergency medicine in Canada.

Over the duration of their 6-month program in Canada, trainees were exposed to a spectrum of challenges faced by North American children’s hospital and were provided with hands-on learning opportunities to develop their skills at various capacities, including clinical service in inpatient wards, outpatient clinics, and research.  Upon the trainee’s return to their sending institutions in China, they applied their newly acquired skills and knowledge through the implementation of learned teaching methods and clinical practices.  A mentorship program has been put in place for Canadian trainers to work with their trainees to conduct environmental evaluations of the latter’s institution, and to assess the needs and necessary changes in the institution, as well as negotiate with senior administrators in support of trainee’s plans when appropriate.

In 2005, ZeShan funded a multi-year initiative by The Children’s Medical Foundation (CMF) with the aim to lower neonatal mortality rates and improve the quality of neonatal care in China. The goal of the initiative was to establish neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in five underprivileged areas in Zhejiang Province, as well as provide training to doctors and nurses. With subsequent funding from like-minded donors, CMF helped establish 15 more NICUs at various regions in China.

In April 2009, ZeShan sponsored a conference in Shanghai, bringing together representatives of 20 NICUs to share experiences and insights on neonatal care. 41 medical professionals attended the conference, including representatives from the National Center for Women and Children’s Health, heads of neonatology and members of CMF’s China Medical Advisory Board, and Professor Gui Yonghao, Vice President of Fudan University and President of the paediatrics division under the Chinese Medical Association.

This 2-day event saw the establishment of a professional network to facilitate further sharing and training for the CMF program participants on a regular basis. In addition to keynote presentations, group discussions were held, addressing issues such as the challenges of neonatal care in different parts of China and possible solutions to these problems, as well as the development of a national neonatal resuscitation program.