Global ARCH is a global alliance of organizations dedicated to improving the lives of those impacted by childhood-onset heart diseases, including congenital and rheumatic heart disease. With patient and family groups at the heart of our efforts, we work together to empower local community leaders, foster global collaboration, and unite our voices, ensuring that every individual has access to the essential care, support, and services they deserve to live a life unlimited by their disease.
This profile is part of the Global ARCH Storytelling Series to celebrate our members, their personal stories, and the work they do to help others. My wife, Roselle DG Estrella, is a 43-year-old hard-working woman. She has been working since she was 16 years old helping with farm work. When Roselle was a girl growing
Global ARCH played a key role at the World Health Assembly Side Event in Geneva, collaborating with allied organizations to present “Congenital Anomalies and Universal Health: Leaving No One Behind”. Bistra Zheleva, Global ARCH board member, and Vice President of Global Strategy and Advocacy at Children’s HeartLink, introduced the side event saying, “We are here
In April, Global ARCH Executive Director Kate Doherty-Schmeck and Board member Ruth Ngwaro attended the inaugural international conference on the PEN-Plus regional strategy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to address severe and chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Health experts, survivors, and leaders advanced discussions on ending NCDs. They gathered with health ministries, African country leaders and health ministry
Together we can help organizations worldwide make a difference in the lives of children and adults with childhood-onset heart disease, and their families. Please donate today.
Nahimeh Jaffar has worked as a certified Project Manager (PMP) in various fields, including Public Health, Biotech, and Pharmaceuticals, working within clinical settings such as hospitals and clinics. In addition, she worked with global communities in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Middle East, supporting various social impact projects. Ms. Jaffar has been involved in preventive health initiatives in collaboration with the Center for Disease Control (CDC, USA) and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS, USA).
Ms. Jaffar holds an MBA in Business Development from the Swiss Institute of Higher Management, Vevey, Switzerland, and a bachelor’s degree in Consumer Affairs from California State University, Northridge, USA.
Amy Verstappen has been a patient advocate and health educator since 1996, when her own challenges living with a complex heart defect led her to the Adult Congenital Heart Association, where she served as president from 2001 to 2013. She has served as an advisor to the Centers for Disease Control the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; and the International Society for Adult Congenital Cardiac Disease, and worked with congenital heart patient and professional groups throughout the USA and the world. Ms. Verstappen received a Masters in Education in 1990 and a Masters in Global Health in 2019.