The Heart-to-Heart Foundation was the realization of a dream by two Kenyan cardiologists, Dr. Betty M. Gikonyo and Dr. Dan K. Gikonyo. They were inspired to take action after witnessing the high rates of childhood heart disease, including Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease in Kenya. Financial constraints often prevented families from accessing proper care, and the founders sought to address this challenge by establishing a local solution that would make heart surgery affordable and accessible to the neediest children.

One of the Foundation’s first success stories was Alfred Keter, a young boy who became the first beneficiary of their groundbreaking work. Alfred received life-saving heart surgery through the Foundation, marking the start of many more children’s journeys toward healthy lives.

Initially, the Foundation sent children abroad for heart surgeries. However, with time and investment in equipment and training, it became possible to perform these surgeries locally. The first successful open-heart surgery on beneficiary by the name Judy Mbuthia under the Foundation was conducted at Nairobi Hospital on October 3, 1993. Since then, the Foundation has grown into a national leader in treating childhood heart disease sponsoring over 600 surgeries to date.