Little Hearts International charity driven to give children from Ukraine the chance to live

Regardless of the geopolitical situation, nothing is more important than saving children’s lives.”

Sophie Pompea, executive director, Little Hearts International

It takes a big heart to dedicate time, money and effort to helping far-away strangers, but for the nonprofit Little Hearts International, that is the name of the game.

The Sea Cliff based charity helps children from across Eurasia in need of heart surgery, both organizing trips for them to come to the United States and sponsoring the training of cardiologists and heart surgeons on the ground.

The organization was originally founded in 1991 as Russian Gift of Life USA by members of Sea Cliff’s Russian and Ukrainian community. Sophie Pompea, Little Hearts’ executive director, said that the charity was created with the goal of helping underprivileged children.

The focus of the charity was on children from former Soviet Union states. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, many former member-states lacked the necessary medical facilities or infrastructure to treat complex ailments.

“Early on, a lot of the medical services in those countries were not really available or not world class,” Pompea said. “One out of every 100 children is born with a heart defect, and if they don’t get the proper medical care, a lot of them die within a few years.”

Due to linguistic, cultural and financial barriers however, it was often difficult for parents living in these countries to get their children access to the necessary medical treatment abroad.

Pompea added that this was, and remains, a large part of what makes Little Hearts stand out; they can serve as the middleman between in-need families and medical centers.

The organization most frequently works with St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center in Roslyn, a national leader in cardiology and heart surgery. Little Hearts covers the cost of flights and helps provide temporary housing for the child and family members, while medical experts at St. Francis donate their time and resources to saving the children’s lives.

Since its founding, the organization changed its name twice; first to RGOL USA; then last year to their current one. Pompea said that it was meant to reflect their change to try and serve the wider international community.

They have expanded their practices as Little Hearts no longer just flies children to the United States for treatment; they also raise money to help train and supply heart doctors and surgeons on the ground.

This serves to provide reliable and local access to families with a sick child. By providing training, they also help ensure that locals will be able to continue to provide such life-saving care in the future.

Currently, Little Hearts is primarily focused on Ukraine, which due to the ongoing invasion by Vladimir Putin’s regime, is facing a dangerous shortage in advanced medical supplies. While the conflict has made the job more difficult, Pompea emphasized that thanks to their well-known and well-trusted contacts in cities such as Kiev and Lviv, they’ve been able to overcome the obstacles.

“In general, you need to know the people on the ground,” Pompea continued. “You need to know who is actually getting the funds and who’s there on the ground as your advocate.”

The group also works with local nonprofit organizations such as Gift of Life International. In this capacity, they often work with Ukrainian refugees, and recently helped arrange a surgery for one Ukrainian girl at St. Francis.

Since 1991 the organization has saved the lives of roughly 1,000 children. Although the coronavirus pandemic affected their ability to hold fundraisers, they are working on starting to hold events again in the coming months.

In addition, Little Hearts is also updating its website, to enable it to reach a wider audience.
Ultimately however, Pompea says that the goal is always about saving children’s lives.

She also highlighted the tremendous support Little Hearts received, and continues to receive, from the community.

“The main thing is saving children’s lives, letting them have a totally normal life once they have the operation,” Pompea said. “Regardless of the geopolitical situation, nothing is more important than saving children’s lives.”

Anyone interested in donating money to Little Hearts can mail a check to Little Hearts International, P.O. Box 403, Sea Cliff, N.Y. 11579.