On November 29, 2008, Save a Child's Heart Kenya, established through the efforts of Rinat Langliv, held an exciting Gala Event at the Holiday Inn Narobi.
All two hundred tickets were sold. MC Jeff Koinange Anchorman of Channel K24 in Nairobi did a smashing job leading the evening to an audience including Guest of Honor Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi, Ambassador Yacob Keidar from Israel, Ambassador Shigeo Iwatani from Japan and Ambassador Ann M. Grupin'ska from Poland, the son of the President of Kenya, Jimmy Kabaki, Rina and Albert Atias who were the backbone and generators of the successful event and representatives of Safaricom, the Access Group Internet Company, Kobil-Kenol Fuel Company, Solel Boneh (Kenya), Teva Assia (Pharmaceuticals), representatives of USAID as well as many other important business people in the Kenyian community.
Also in attendace were members of Rotary's district 9200 led by Rotarians DG Kanshik Manek and his wife Geeta and of course members of the Medical Profession including Dr. David Silverman, Dr. Naomi Gachara and Dr. Joe Ruturi.
The SACH Art to Heart Photography Exhibition was displayed thanks to the support of the Israeli embassy in Kenya and touched the hearts of all. Fifteen pieces of original art were auctioned off by Jeff Koinange and Dr. David Silverstein, who is a leader of the Jewish Community as well as a Cardiologist at the Nairobi Hospital. The auctioned paintings and ticket sales combined raised the very honorable sum of $30,000 to further the cooperation between Kenya and SACH in both training courses and bringing children to SACH Israel for life saving cardiac surgery.
Sammy Kithome, age eight, was presented to the audience by Deputy Prime Minister Mudavadi. Sammy was the first child from Kenya to come to SACH and his surgery was done last January in Israel.
SACH Israel was represented by Dr. Lior Sasson, Chief of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery at the Wolfson Medical Center in Israel and Simon Fisher, Executive Director of SACH Israel. Plans were made to continue bringing local medical staff to Israel and for SACH medical teams to visit Kenya in order to work alongside Kenyan doctors and nurses.
"Nairobi Star" - Local doctors to train for surgeries in Israel , November 2008