Announcing the $1,000,000 Waislitz Scholarship

May 26, 2019

Long-standing Australian donor, entrepreneur and philanthropist Alex Waislitz from the Waislitz Family Foundation has pledged $1,000,000 AUD to be donated through The Waislitz Scholarship over a ten year period. Through this donation, the knowledge and experience provided to the doctors by SACH in Israel will enable them to save many more lives.

SACH’s mission is to improve the quality of paediatric cardiac care for children from developing countries, who suffer from congenital heart disease and to create centers of competence in these countries. In doing so SACH provides a full outreach training program for the medical personnel from these countries. Every year, for ten years, The Waislitz Scholarship will fund three outstanding medical professionals from developing countries to participate in a twelve-month training program in their chosen specialty taught by world-renowned doctors at the Wolfson Medical Center in Israel. This opportunity will enable SACH’s newly trained medical professionals to return home and save children’s lives.

The donation will cover accommodation costs for each doctor whilst in Israel, their local transportation costs, a subsistence allowance, tuition fees as well as participation in international medical conferences and a round-trip airfare home.

The relationship between The Waislitz Family Foundation and SACH precedes this donation. During October 2012, Alex Waislitz climbed shoulder to shoulder with friends of SACH Australia to the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa to raise awareness and funds for Save a Child's Heart. This heroic climb was a great success, raising over $180,000 and saving the lives of 18 African children suffering from heart disease.

Alex’s leadership and example inspired 18 SACH Young Leaders from around the world to follow in his footsteps, climbing Kilimanjaro in a fundraising expedition during 2018. His successful endeavours pave the way for the next generation of young leaders in Australia and beyond. Save a Child’s Heart is thankful for the support given by Alex and The Waislitz Family Foundation.  

Below are some pictures from Alex’s climb. This climb had special significance to Waislitz family as Alex’s son, Jake became one of the youngest people to summit Kilimanjaro Mountain.

A few years later as part of the Save a Child's Heart 20th anniversary, Alex Waizlitz was presented with the Save a Child's Heart Humanitarian Award, in gratitude of his exceptional contributions to improving access to quality health care for children in the developing world.

2018 recipients of the The Waislitz Scholarship

Name: Dr. Bonface Osano from Kenya , Specialty: Pediatric Cardiology

Name: Dr. Ahmed Fared Zarour from the Palestinian Authority, Specialty: Pediatrics and General Surgery, First Year      

Name: Dr. Tolesa Waktola Gemechu from Ethiopia, Specialty: Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology

2019 recipients of the The Waislitz Scholarship

Name: Dr. Rahel Tilahun Melaku from Ethiopia, Specialty: Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology                         

Name: Dr. Ahmed Fared Zarour from the Palestinian Authority, Specialty: Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Second Year

Name: Dr Mudaniso Kunani Ziwa from Zambia, Specialty: Pediatric Cardiac Surgery