Implementing Club: Tuul Rotary Club

Implemented between 2004 and 2014, the “Children’s Heart” Project became not only a flagship initiative of the Tuul Rotary Club, but also a signature of Rotary’s humanitarian work in Mongolia.

In partnership with Rotary Clubs from South Korea, this 10-year magnificent collaboration enabled over 300 children with congenital heart defects to undergo life-saving heart surgeries in South Korea. These surgeries were made possible through funding from the Rotary Foundation, giving these children the gift of a healthy life.

One of the project’s most significant outcomes was its role in building local capacity: it laid the foundation for performing such complex surgeries within Mongolia. Thanks to this project, Mongolian doctors today are able to perform heart surgeries and provide post-operative care domestically, a major milestone in localizing medical expertise and technology.

This life-changing humanitarian initiative not only supported children who couldn’t be treated in Mongolia due to complex congenital conditions, but also included sending 16 Mongolian doctors for hands-on training at leading cardiac hospitals in South Korea and supplying the National Center for Maternal and Child Health (NCMCH) with an ambulance and essential medical equipment.

From 2014 to 2019, the second phase of the “Children’s Heart” project focused on further strengthening cardiac surgery capabilities within Mongolia. In collaboration with Mongolian doctors at the Third State Central Hospital, South Korean medical teams came to Mongolia and successfully performed open-heart surgeries on 120 children, offering them a second chance at life.