The Paul Chester Children’s Hope Foundation
By Ivano Grasso for The Paul Chester Children's Hope Foundation
The Paul Chester Children’s Hope Foundation (PCCHF) provides medical assistance to children and families in developing countries, giving them a chance to live productive lives through well-conceived medical interventions. The doctors involved perform reconstructive surgery and work to arrest preventable, curable diseases.
The Foundation harnesses the expertise of medical professionals and local agencies to identify opportunities for maximum social impact, and then funds and completes the medical or surgical interventions deemed most viable.
The PCCHF core base is made up of volunteers – both medical and administrative, which vary from 50-200 in any given year. On the organizational side, the small group is made up of 5-7 dedicated individuals who meet regularly to discuss, plan and pilot missions. A typical mission takes place over ten days with a team of medical professionals and organizers in collaboration with officials from the host country. The number of surgeries performed is directly linked to funding, number of volunteers and the capacity of the local hospital.
The medical procedures provided largely addressed disfiguring conditions that have a tremendously negative impact on the livelihood of the afflicted individual. The Foundation was co-founded by Dr. Bill Chester and Roxolana Kuzmak in 2004 to honor the memory of Paul Chester, whose tragic death at age 16 cut short a life determined to help those less fortunate. Paul’s last days were spent in preparation to accompany his father, Dr. Bill Chester, on a medical mission.
