Kanu Heart Foundation

Founded in 2000, Kanu Heart Foundation is a non-governmental organisation based in Ikeja, Nigeria working on health, children & youth.

The Kanu Heart Foundation is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation founded by Nigerian footballer Kanu Nwankwo in 2000. It helps indigent children and young adults with cardiac conditions obtain life-saving heart surgery, both within and outside Nigeria. Since its launch, the foundation reports having helped 538 children receive open-heart surgery in hospitals in the UK, Israel, India and Sudan. Because of the high cost of treatment abroad, it has also pursued a plan to build a cardiac specialist hospital in Abuja, Nigeria, and has run trial surgical missions with visiting cardiac teams at University Teaching Hospital Enugu. The foundation runs fundraising campaigns, relies on donations and corporate support, and offers volunteer opportunities. It reports a waiting list of around 300 patients.