26 October 2013

Dear Lebanese,

I profoundly feel that it is my duty to standby your side as we strive to satisfy your most compelling social needs. I was assisted in determining these needs by the international consulting firm "Booz & Co" which has helped me to define an objective. Armed with this conviction and with the support of a number of committed friends, I have founded "Yaduna", a non-profit organization whose focal project is to establish a preventive medical center for women's cardiovascular diseases that I called the "Women Heart Health Center" after I became aware that these diseases are the number one cause of death among Lebanese  women.  The highly technical medical nature of this venture, and the need to provide the best service quality, led me to sign a "Cooperation Protocol" with two prestigious institutions, the "American University of Beirut" and the "Université Saint-Joseph". I believe that such a unique coupling of high level expertise in the medical field and a joint determination of precise criteria in the field of medical and administrative services, will cause this "medical center" to become a pioneering and model center in the fulfillment of its set objectives.
The "Women Heart Health Center" provides financial support mechanisms for all Lebanese women at risk regardless of their social background and based on their individual needs. The main objective of the Center is "preventive action" and such action makes no difference between "rich" and "less rich" women. Accordingly, we are seeking a national strategy that enhances the level of health care and lowers women fatalities resulting from these diseases.
As for the "detailed services" offered by the Center, they are:
•    Diagnosis and early detection of women's cardiovascular diseases in a preventive manner in addition to providing preliminary treatment to the Center’s visitors if necessary.
•    To organize "awareness campaigns" about these diseases.
•    To conduct "empowerment sessions" for those working in the field of cardiovascular diseases.
•    To communicate with the competent official authorities in order to enact "care programs" or the "laws related to caring for heart disease patients".
•    To conduct "scientific research" through the two universities based on the statistical information provided by the Center.
•    To assist the Center’s visitors to "quit smoking, lose weight and adopt a healthier life style" in order to prevent cardiovascular diseases.
Dear Lebanese,
After summarizing the extended  phases that led to the establishment of the "Women Heart Health" Center, I wish to extend my thanks to all those who took part in this journey, for without them the Center would have never become a reality. They have offered with great discretion, financial or in-kind support. They believed in this project and stood behind its full implementation. They were motivated by their social service responsibility towards Lebanon, that they love so dearly and that is today in dire need for such humanitarian initiatives.  To all of them, a great thank you…
Finally, I would like to call upon all Lebanese women for whom  this Center was created, to adopt the "preventive path" that has become a modern international trend which translates into the different preventive policies adopted by the "World Health Organization". To all those women I say,
"in order to preserve your health, you need to benefit from the services offered by this Center".

Long live Lebanon

Wafaa Sleiman
Founder of Yaduna Association