Cure Kids Fiji is focused on rheumatic heart disease which has been one of the biggest fatalities for young people in the country.

“The focus of Cure Kids work in Fiji has been rheumatic heart disease which is one of the highest causes of death to young people in Fiji,” says programme advisor Liz Kennedy.

Ms Kennedy said whilst it was fantastic to have charities that provide immediate relief post natural disasters, it was equally important to have charities that focus long term.

Cure Kids Fiji works closely with the Ministry of Health as well as international experts to create solutions to the most serious health challenges affecting children in Fiji.

“RHD is preventable and yet it affects approximately one in 30 children between ages of 5-15 years,” Ms Kennedy said.

This year marks the 10-year anniversary of Cure Kids in Fiji with the priority to continue to support the RHD project through the Ministry of Health and Medical Services as well as extend work into other priority areas.

“We are working on a system wide approach to addressing RHD including; training health care professionals to improve the diagnosis and management of RHD,” she said.

“Our work is also focussed on raising awareness of the causes of RHD, the importance of early diagnosis and ways to prevent it from developing.”

Meanwhile, former Director of Events with Tourism Fiji, Sally Cooper has been appointed as Director of Operations Cure Kids Fiji.

Cure Kids Charity was founded in New Zealand in 1975 and in partnership with one of the world’s leading hotel operators Accor Hotels was established in the country in 2006.