Donation barometer
MI-DO is a donation platform that raises money to provide access to medical care and surgery for children and young adults with heart conditions in Central and West Africa.
History of MI-DO
In summer 2012 two members of the Italian based nonprofit organization Etica Mundi, Claudia von Lutterotti and Andrea Maria Zeller, visited the mission of the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis in Cameroon. Whilst working on their sponsorship project for orphans and care takers they passed by every day at the Cardiac Center. Talking to the Cardiac Center staff they soon learned that surgical interventions or simple medical treatment was not possible for the underprivileged people due to financial obstacles. The Etica Mundi members thought, if many people of good will would just give each a small amount of money, such treatment and surgical interventions could be accessible for the people most in need and change their lives.
The MIDO crowd funding platform was born! MIDO intends to raise funds for patients utilizing the resources of the World Wide Web which allows for infinite outreach. Micro donations result in large sums of money if many individuals contribute.
MIDO founders gave themselves strict rules:
100% of the donations given are spent to the benefit of the patients without any money being lost along the way on bank fees or administration fees.
MIDO’s primary focus is on supporting the poorest, mainly underprivileged children and jung adults. The Cardiac Center Team carefully selects the patients who enter the MIDO program according to medical criteria and financial needs.
1:1 donations: the donor knows who benefits from his donation and furthermore the donor will receive a feedback about the results of the treatment.
Transparency: The accounts are audited on a yearly basis by an independent external auditor. All donations are paid through Etica Mundi which is a registered nonprofit organization based in Italy. Etica Mundi forwards the donations directly to the mission account of the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis.
Background & Facts
In the Global South, congenital and acquired heart defects are surprisingly common. Whilst there are no epidemiological data available for Cameroon regarding the prevalence and management of heart disease, figures do exist from the screening programmes carried out by the Shisong Cardiac Centre.
In the Western world, most congenital heart defects are diagnosed before birth and can be treated surgically immediately after birth. These children are thus able to lead completely normal, healthy lives. In the Global South, however, particularly in most African countries, only a very small proportion of the population has access to diagnosis, medical care and/or surgical treatment for congenital or acquired heart defects. The situation is particularly serious in rural areas, where access to basic medical care is already difficult.
The situation is made considerably more difficult by a number of other factors:
Education: More than 50% of the rural population has only completed primary school.
General health situation: There is a high incidence of infectious diseases, rheumatic fever and tuberculosis, as well as illnesses caused by malnutrition, which in turn can lead to heart disease.
Financial resources: The majority of the rural population engages in subsistence farming, traditional crafts or small-scale trade. The proceeds from the sale of any surplus are never sufficient to cover healthcare costs.
Archbishop Paul Verzekov Foundation (APAVMEHEF):
In most African countries, including Cameroon, there is no public health insurance system. In 2010, a foundation was therefore established in Shisong-Kumbo with the aim of supporting underprivileged heart patients. Even though heart surgery, including pre- and post-operative care, costs five times less than in Europe, the grant that the foundation is currently able to provide is far from sufficient to cover the actual costs. Those affected do their utmost to contribute themselves and usually collect funds from their immediate and extended families. Nevertheless, according to CC statistics from 2012, 60% of patients who have been treated require full or partial financial support. The CC team prioritises patients awaiting surgery according to urgency. However, the ability to finance the treatment often poses a problem.
Heart of Cameroon Foundation (HCF): The Shisong Cardiac Centre and its foundation can only perform a limited number of operations each year – between 50 and 100. However, the need is much greater. To bridge this gap, at least in part, a group of Cameroonian doctors (cardiac and thoracic surgeons, internists and anaesthetists) founded the Heart-of-Cameroon Foundation (HCF). Essentially, this is the same team that also works with the CC-Shisong. The group performs heart operations at Yaoundé General Hospital. They are able to use the operating theatre and the intensive care unit, but must provide the consumables themselves. The patient pays only for the hospital bed – which is affordable. Etica Mundi MI-DO contributes by collecting donations for consumables.
ETICA MUNDI ODV is a non-profit organization based in Meran, Italy. Since 2002 Etica Mundi carries out projects in different countries such as Bolivia, Brazil, Chad, Ecuador, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uganda, Cameroon and others. The main emphasis of Etica Mundi is to reduce poverty and to create peace, supporting vulnerable persons in the southern world through programs for education, healthcare and environmental protection. The crowd funding platform MI-DO was created by Etica Mundi in collaboration with the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis to support underprivileged patients of the Cardiac Center Shisong, Cameroon.
The CARDIAC CENTER SHISONG, located in the North West of Cameroon, was inaugurated in November 2009 after an eight years construction time. The Cardiac Center, owned and run by the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis, is the only center of its kind in the whole Central- West-African Region. The Cardiac Center is equipped with ultramodern facilities and was declared a national reference center for cardiac treatment. There are different wards for female, male, a pediatric/postoperative ward and a neo-natology ward – all together 40 beds - as well as an intensive care unite with 12 beds and an out-patients department. Many services are offered such as out-patients’ service, open heart surgery, catheterization, pace maker implantation and outreach cardiac screening. The vision is to offer affordable and high quality cardiovascular treatment to all, especially to underprivileged persons, not only in Cameroon but also in Continental Sub-Regions where such services are rare.
The TERTIARY SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS (TSSF) are a Catholic Order of Pontifical Right. The TSSF have their origin in Brixen, Italy were they still have their motherhouse. In 1935 five Tertiary Sisters were sent to Shisong, North-West-Cameroon. They started their mission with education, especially for girls, and an obstetric clinic. Over the years the Sisters built up a General Hospital, today counting 340 beds, an orphanage, several schools, a school of health science for state registered nursing, midwifery, laboratory technicians and nurse assistants. The Cardiac Center, owned and run by the TSSF, was inaugurated in November 2009 and is affiliated with the St. Elisabeth’s General Hospital Shisong. Until today the TSSF founded 35 Missions in Cameroon. Local Sisters are admitted since 1961. To date the TSSF’s Province of Cameroon counts 238 Sisters whose main activities are pastoral work, education, and nursing.
Heart of Cameroon Foundation (HCF): The Shisong Cardiac Centre and its foundation can only perform a limited number of operations each year – between 50 and 100. However, the need is much greater. To bridge this gap, at least in part, a group of Cameroonian doctors (cardiac and thoracic surgeons, internists and anaesthetists) founded the Heart-of-Cameroon Foundation (HCF). Essentially, this is the same team that also works with the CC-Shisong. The group performs heart operations at Yaoundé General Hospital. They are able to use the operating theatre and the intensive care unit, but must provide the consumables themselves. The patient pays only for the hospital bed – which is affordable. Etica Mundi MI-DO contributes by collecting donations for consumables.
Etica Mundi (EM) and Shisong Cardiac Center Heart Foundation (SCC-HF)
- EM To cover the surgery costs of needy heart patients treated by the Shisong Cardiac Center, Etica Mundi (EM) operates a crowdfunding campaign through the MI-DO website.
- SCC-HF team decides who is accepted into the MI-DO program based on the following criteria: the urgency of the surgery for the patient, the expertise of the cardiac surgeon, and the patient's social circumstances.
- SCC-HF team sends an application for support, along with information about the patient's family background and a cost estimate for the surgery, to EM.
- EM publishes the application on the MI-DO website and collects donations.
- SCC-HF After the treatment is completed, SCC-HF sends a final report.
EM transfers the collected donations to the Cardiac Center's mission account. The amount transferred is never more than the estimated cost. Should the surgery cost less, or should a patient no longer require support (e.g., due to a no-show, other support, death, etc.), the collected amount remains in the MI-DO account and benefits the next person in need. In the donor list, this appears as MI-DO savings.
EM - SCC-HF Transparency: Financial management is audited annually by an independent body.
Etica Mundi (EM) and Heart of Cameroon Foundation (HCF)
- EM To purchase consumables necessary for heart surgeries, Etica Mundi uses crowdfunding via the MI-DO website and submits applications to public bodies.
- HCF sends Etica Mundi a list of requirements and cost estimates for a certain number of patients scheduled for surgery. After consulting with EM, HCF orders the necessary materials.
- EM settles the material invoices according to available funds.
HCF commits to not selling or exchanging the donated materials for profit. The materials are to be used exclusively for heart surgeries performed by HCF. A list of the operated patients is sent to EM.
EM - HCF Transparency: Financial management is audited annually by an independent body.
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