Our Mission

At Happy Healthy Hearts e.V., we are wholeheartedly committed to ensuring that no child in South Africa with a congenital heart defect is forgotten, regardless of how much money their family has or where they live. Every child deserves a fair chance at a healthy, fulfilling life.

We do everything in our power to enable as many children as possible to receive life-saving treatments. Behind every operation is not only medical help, but also hope, humanity, and the power to achieve great things together.

We see ourselves as partners. We want to be a voice for the project in South Africa, to make visible what is already being achieved locally with great commitment, and to support this important work with united forces.

Together with clinics, doctors, and generous donors, we finance operations, medical equipment, and the necessary aftercare. We support families not only financially, but also emotionally, with dignity, transparency, and genuine compassion.

Our Journey for Strong Children’s Hearts

The Beginning

At the beginning of 2024, a friend from South Africa contacted our board member Dennis. She told him about her work with the Vertice Congenital Heart Disease Project (Vertice CHD Project), which gives children a future through life-saving heart operations and educates about congenital heart disease. She was collecting donations for this project at the time.

In a country without a nationwide health system, many parents do not know enough about these congenital heart defects. In addition, there is often a lack of financial means to help their child sufficiently.

First Steps

Inspired by the South African project, we at Happy Healthy Hearts e.V. decided that we could do more than just make a one-off donation.

We want to be a voice for doctors, parents and children and authentically and transparently convey their reality of life.

Together for Children’s Hearts

That’s why we work with the Vertice CHD Project to give affected children a real chance - through modern, minimally invasive heart operations that can save lives.

The doctors and medical team work mostly on a voluntary basis, but for the necessary equipment and medical care we rely on your help.

Our Team

Our team combines expertise and passion: experts from medicine, non-profit management and marketing work hand in hand - with a common goal: to sustainably improve the lives of children with heart disease. Each of us brings not only know-how, but also real commitment.

Dennis Huiskens

Founder, Initiator & Board

vorstand@happyhealthyhearts.de

My name is Dennis Huiskens and when Idoné told me about the idea of helping children with congenital heart disease in disadvantaged regions of South Africa, I was immediately deeply moved. I knew: This is exactly what I want to support across borders. After several years in hospital construction and my current work in nursing, I have seen how important medical care is - and how much it can change when it reaches those who need it most. Happy Healthy Hearts e.V. is more than an association for me - it is a matter of the heart. Together with friends, I started this initiative because I believe that every child has a right to health and a carefree life - regardless of where they were born.

Florian Giulio Votta

Founder & Board

vorstand@happyhealthyhearts.de

I am Florian Giulio Votta, founding member and together with Dennis on the board of Happy Healthy Hearts e.V.. From the very beginning it was clear to me: I want to build something that gives hope - not an association that only tells of suffering, but of the power to change things sustainably. To give a smile, for a lifetime. I have been working in online marketing since 2012. This experience helps me today, especially when it comes to making our association visible - with creative ideas and a sense of what moves people and how best to reach them today.

Nicole Langer

Founder & Finance

finanzen@happyhealthyhearts.de

My name is Nicole Langer and I am part of Happy Healthy Hearts e.V. The idea of enabling children with congenital heart defects in South Africa to receive life-saving measures immediately touched me deeply. It is a personal motivation - because I am convinced that every child has a right to health and a carefree life, regardless of where they come from. I bring over a decade of professional experience in customer service, project management and international logistics, and this experience helps me to approach tasks in a structured, solution-oriented and far-sighted way - skills that I also bring to my work in the association. My commitment to others is not only evident in my job, but also beyond: Between 2011 and 2013 I worked at the Geldern animal shelter - a formative time in which I learned how important care and reliability are. Since the beginning of 2024, I have also been working as an honorary lay judge at the Gelsenkirchen District Court and am committed to justice and social cohesion. For me, Happy Healthy Hearts e.V. means not only help for healing, but also hope, perspective and humanity - values that I am happy to stand up for.

Idoné Visser

Member of the Vertice Congenital Heart Disease Project

My name is Idoné Visser and I am part of the Vertice Congenital Heart Disease Project in South Africa. I am an occupational psychologist by profession and have a passion for children with heart disease. The mission from the beginning was to give children with congenital heart disease a better chance in life. I am proud to continue this work with an inspiring team that is committed to making a lasting difference.

Constanze Weinert

Founder & Communications

My name is Constanze Weinert and I work as a care consultant in Cologne. In 2015, I undertook my first big trip together with Dennis Huiskens to South Africa. Not only the beauty of this country impressed me, but also the unequal living conditions of the people living there moved me deeply. I was therefore very interested in the project to get involved in a non-profit organization that, in cooperation with doctors and medical professionals based in South Africa, takes care of children in need. Through my work in the medical/care sector here in Germany, I know the emergencies and helplessness of people who are seriously ill. Therefore, it is my ethos that especially for sick children affected by social inequality in their home country, external support is all the more necessary to alleviate their and their families fears and to make comprehensive medical care accessible even without their own financial means. This is what I stand for at Happy Healthy Hearts e.V.

Our Volunteers

Happy Healthy Hearts lives from people like you - who get involved with heart and dedication! Our team consists not only of permanent members, but also of a diverse group of committed volunteers. Whether medical professionals or event planners - they all contribute their time, knowledge and enthusiasm for our mission.

Would you also like to get involved and support our work? Then let’s make a difference together! Feel free to write to us - we welcome every helping hand and will tell you more about current opportunities to get involved.

Help that makes a difference

Your donation gives children with heart disease in South Africa a real chance to survive.

In South Africa, many babies are born with a congenital heart defect (CHD) — but often these life-threatening conditions go undetected, or there are no resources for treatment.

What your donation makes possible

Life-saving surgeries

Pediatric cardiologists at the public Steve Biko Hospital in Pretoria treat children with conditions such as septal defects. The surgeries (usually at Zuid-Afrikaans Hospital) are performed voluntarily by doctors. Your donation helps fund closure devices and hospital stays.

Mobile heart ultrasound device

To ensure that babies in rural areas can also be examined, we are raising funds for a mobile echocardiography device. Pediatric cardiologists from Bloemfontein use it to detect heart defects early and start treatment.

How do we stay connected locally?

Our direct contact person in South Africa is Idoné. Through her, we stay in touch with the pediatric cardiologists who carry out the treatments and identify local needs.

Our vision

We want to help ensure that children with congenital heart defects in South Africa can receive faster and more local treatment — for example, by expanding medical care in the Limpopo province.

What sets us apart

Personal contact

With us, every voice counts - through our contacts in South Africa, we are always in close, personal exchange.

Flexibility

Our lean structure enables us to respond quickly to local needs.

Transparency

You can always see where every donated euro goes - openness and responsibility are a matter of course for us.

Sustainable impact

Your donation improves the lives of children and their families, enables vital medical care and gives hope for a healthy future.

Become part of Happy Healthy Hearts e.V.

Whether one-time donation or long-term support - every help counts. Together we can give new hope to children with congenital heart defects.

Fill out membership applicationor donate todayDonate

Because every heart deserves a healthy life!