2021 Supporter Event and Annual awards

East Timor Hearts Fund’s volunteers, staff and partners came together online on December 13th, for our annual Volunteer and Supporter Appreciation event. Hosted by our CEO David Marlow, the Supporter event was a great opportunity for us to thank our community of volunteers and supporters for their commitment over another very challenging year. The event was also a celebration of our organisation’s triumphs as we adapted to challenges sparked by natural disasters in Timor-Leste and a second year of COVID challenges world-wide.

Attendees were formally welcomed to the event by David Marlow and Board Chair David Lloyd.

The also event incorporated our Volunteers and Partner awards which recognise standout contributions throughout the year.

We congratulate the following recipients of this year’s awards:

Dr Dan Murphy Clinical Volunteer of the Year – Dr Will Wilson

As the founder and ‘heart’ of Bairo Pite Clinic, Dr Dan was vital in providing free healthcare services to the disadvantaged of Timor-Leste. His advocacy for young Timorese desperately needing life-saving heart surgery helped fuel the creation of our organisation, along with our co-founder Dr Noel Bayley.

Like Dr Dan, Dr Wilson’s professionalism, expertise and advocacy for the young heart patients in our region has immeasurably improved the lives of many.

Specially, we acknowledge:

• Volunteering at our adult online cardiac screening clinics and participating in the past on our in-country clinics,
• Advocacy for our patients to progress surgery at Royal Melbourne Hospital (and elsewhere) for our priority surgical patients,
• Active participation on our Board and Clinical Governance Committee, and
• Acting as a link between the Board and our clinical team.

Richard Vallance Volunteer of the Year – Dr Elizabeth Paratz

Richard Valance was an extremely generous and kind supporter of ETHF’s work, who was inspired by our volunteer-driven organisation. His selfless generosity provided us with security to continue with our mission to save more young lives.

Like Richard, Dr Paratz’s professionalism and expertise as our volunteer Deputy Medical Director  – Research, has made an incredible contribution to ETHF’s work.

Specially, we acknowledge:

• Coordination of the preparation and submission for publishing of two important research papers which enhance the understanding of battling RHD in Timor-Leste,
• Volunteering at our adult online cardiac screening clinics and participating in the past on our in-country clinics,
• Mentoring new Timorese cardiologists at HNGV in Dili,
• Active participation in the ETHF Clinical Governance Committee,
• Helping to develop new partnerships for ETHF, including with the Victorian Heart Institute, and
• Supporting key fundraising and community engagement activities.

Optimism and Collaboration Volunteer – Mana Alzira dos Reis

As an organisation, we embrace Optimism and Collaboration, as we set big goals and find efficient and effective ways to work together to improve the lives of young heart patients in Timor-Leste.

Mana Alzira dos Reis has worked hard to help achieve several key ETHF goals during this year including:

• Helping to establish the Timorese Advisory Committee which is an important deliverable under our new strategic plan, and helping to recruit some great Timorese Advisory Committee members from across the Timorese community,
• Joining the ETHF Board as a very active new member while providing an insightful cultural point-of-reference for our executive team, and
• Effectively representing ETHF in Timor-Leste.

Respect, Compassion and Integrity Volunteer – Ms Jacqueline Tan

Respect, Compassion and Integrity are important values of East Timor Hearts Fund.  Upholding these values every day is critical to how we work and what our donors, partners and most importantly, our patients, deserve.

We consistently witness Ms Tan’s demonstration of our values through her role as our volunteer Finance Manager.

In particular, we acknowledge:

• Preparation of our regular financial statements and MIS for the Finance & Audit Committee,
• Liaison and support of the audit process to ensure a successful audit,
• Active participation in the Finance & Audit Committee, and
• Support for our fundraising events and activities.

Partner of the Year – Dr Josh Francis

Quality partnerships are at the core of our organisation’s mission. We work in collaboration with like-minded experts who are passionate about improving the outcomes of some of the world’s most vulnerable cardiac patients living in Timor-Leste.

This year, as the world continued to navigate through a second year of COVID-19 disruptions, Dr Francis stood out for his exceptional ability to ‘get the job done’.

In particular, we acknowledge Dr Francis’,

• Drive to establish the RHD Guidelines for Timor-Leste, working closely with many partners, especially local partners such as the Ministry of Health, HNGV and Maluk Timor
• Support to define and develop various projects to fight RHD and rollout the RHD Guidelines, including the distribution of echo skills around the country to improve identification, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease, and
• Continued assistance provided to the Timorese people to combat and defend against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our ability to continue to improve access to heart health services is a reflection of all of our devoted, passionate and talented volunteers and partners. We are grateful for our entire community of supporters, our ‘Heart Heroes’, for their commitment to improving the health outcomes for young heart patients in Timor-Leste.