Chain of Hope

What Chain of Hope does

Chain of Hope is a UK-registered charity (no. 1081384) and company limited by guarantee (no. 3933420) founded in 1996 by Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub to provide life-saving cardiac surgery to children in war-torn and developing countries. The organisation coordinates a global network of volunteer cardiac surgeons, cardiologists, specialist physicians, nurses and technicians who donate their time to deliver treatment, training, and capacity building. It operates three integrated programmes: (1) direct life-saving operations — either through medical missions to partner cardiac centres in countries including Jamaica, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Uganda, and Jordan, or via international referrals to UK hospitals (Royal Brompton, The Harley Street Clinic, Great Ormond Street, Evelina London) and Narayana Health in Bangalore; (2) specialist training and infrastructure programmes that build sustainable local cardiac services; and (3) an annual medical supply chain that ships pharmaceuticals, consumables, and specialised equipment (e.g., a US$100,000 portable echocardiography machine, sternal saws) to partner centres, supported by in-kind donations from manufacturers including BVM, Occlutech, Cryolife, Lifetech, and Scanlan International.

The business model is a non-profit donation-and-event fundraising engine. Revenue streams include individual donations (one-time, regular giving, and 'Sponsor a Child' programmes), corporate sponsorships (Julius Baer, H.R. Owen, DCD Global Awards), flagship events — principally the annual Gala Ball at Grosvenor House Hotel (£1.8–2.6 million per event between 2014 and 2022), Christmas Carol Concerts, and the Share Your Heart exhibition at Saatchi Gallery — plus challenge events such as the London Marathon and Royal Parks Half Marathon. Beneficiary customer segments are children with congenital or acquired heart disease in developing and conflict-affected countries and the local cardiac centres that Chain of Hope helps develop; the paying 'customer' segment comprises individual and corporate donors motivated by CSR, tax-efficient giving, and the impact narrative.

Chain of Hope operates with a small core staff (1–10 employees, headquartered in London) and is led by CEO Emma Scanlan, Chairman Dr Gavin Wright, and founder/President Sir Magdi Yacoub. The organisation is supported by a Board of Trustees with representation from GOSH patient safety, HSBC/Brunswick PR fundraising expertise, and civil engineering, and runs volunteer-driven operations across at least 16 countries spanning the Caribbean, East Africa, the Middle East, North Africa, Southern Africa, Central America, and Europe.

Name

Chain of Hope

Legal name

Chain of Hope

Website

https://chainofhope.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Chain of Hope is a UK-registered charity founded in 1996 that provides life-saving cardiac surgery to children in war-torn and developing countries by coordinating volunteer medical missions, training local professionals, donating equipment, and facilitating international hospital referrals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pediatric Cardiac Healthcare Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Cardiac & Complex Care Medical Travel Agencies (THAKAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Global Health Supply Chain & Procurement Organizations (HLAJAKAL), Humanitarian Logistics, Supply Chain & Air/Sea/Land Relief Transport (BPAGAAAI), Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH)

Keywords

• Pediatric cardiac surgery
• Charitable healthcare services
• Medical mission programs
• Cardiac training missions
• Developing country healthcare

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute through one-time donations, regular giving programs, and sponsorship of individual children. The charity facilitates direct sponsorship of child heart operations.
2. Gala Ball Fundraising Events: Annual Gala Ball events are the primary fundraising mechanism, raising substantial amounts (over £1.8 million in 2022). Events include live and silent auctions, corporate table sales, and celebrity-attended evenings.
3. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors support the Gala Ball and other events. Sponsors include companies like Julius Baer, H.R. Owen Group, and individual philanthropists. Corporate advisory board members contribute expertise and connections.
4. Challenge Events and Runners: Participants in events like the London Marathon and Royal Parks Half Marathon raise funds through sponsorship. In 2022, over £30,000 was raised through marathon runners.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Chain of Hope provides life-saving cardiac surgery to children in war-torn and developing countries who would otherwise lack access to cardiac care. It deploys volunteer teams of world-leading cardiac surgeons, cardiologists, specialist physicians, nurses, and technicians on medical missions, runs international referral programmes to transfer children to centres of excellence, trains local medical professionals, and donates medical equipment and consumables to partner cardiac centres.

Product overview

Chain of Hope is a charitable organization that operates as a unified service model focused on providing life-saving cardiac care to children in war-torn and developing countries. The organization combines direct medical intervention through life-saving surgeries, specialist training missions, local capacity building, and infrastructure development. Core services include the International Child Referral Programme for transferring children to treatment centres, Specialist Training Missions deploying volunteer medical teams, Life-Saving Cardiac Training programmes for local professionals, and Infrastructure building support. Fundraising activities include the annual Gala Ball, Christmas Carol Concert, and Share Your Heart exhibition campaign. The organization also ships medical equipment and supplies to partner cardiac centres annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Life-Saving Cardiac Surgery Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30 years of operation since 1996
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Boston Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading US children's hospital providing pediatric cardiac expertise and potentially participating in medical missions or referrals for Chain of Hope's international programs.
• British AirwayscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor UK airline potentially providing flight support or cargo services for medical missions and patient transport.
• Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld-renowned London children's hospital whose volunteer surgeons and cardiologists participate in Chain of Hope missions. Professor Victor Tsang serves as a Chain of Hope Trustee and lead cardiac surgeon.
• Evelina London Children's Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLondon children's hospital where Chain of Hope patients are treated and whose staff volunteer for international missions.
• Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospital NHS TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialist heart hospital where numerous Chain of Hope patients receive treatment, including children from Jamaica, Uganda, and other countries.
• Gift of Life InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal charity that works with Chain of Hope on international referrals and co-funding of patient treatment, including patients from El Salvador.
• Gift of Life AmmancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJordan-based partner organization collaborating on refugee cardiac missions in Jordan, treating children from Syria, Iraq, and Palestine.
• Riley Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndianapolis children's hospital whose surgeon Dr Mark Turrentine has led over 20 missions to Jordan, treating more than 200 patients.
• Cardiac Centre EthiopiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary cardiac centre in Addis Ababa where Chain of Hope conducts missions to establish sustainable cardiac services for Ethiopia's 94 million population.
• The Harley Street CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLondon private hospital where Chain of Hope performs many surgeries, with volunteer surgeons like Mr Martin Kostolny operating on referred patients.
• Narayana Health Hospital (Bangalore)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndian hospital headed by Dr Devi Shetty, a world-renowned cardiac surgeon, where Chain of Hope refers complex cases including patients from Iraq and Syria.
• La Chaîne de l'EspoircoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench sister organization that provided seed funding to start Chain of Hope UK in 1996.
• Magdi Yacoub Heart FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation established by Chain of Hope's founder to support cardiac care initiatives.
• Palestine Children's Relief FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization that refers patients including Iraqi children to Chain of Hope for treatment.
• Rotary InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal service organization that supports Chain of Hope's mission through volunteer and fundraising efforts.
• Bustamante Hospital for Children (Jamaica)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJamaican children's hospital where Chain of Hope has conducted missions for 30 years and is supporting development of a cardiac centre.
• Shaggy Make a Difference FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJamaican reggae artist Shaggy's foundation that partners with Chain of Hope on the Aswan Heart Project and hosts fundraisers like Shaggy and Friends.
• The Usain Bolt FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOlympic champion Usain Bolt's foundation that supports Chain of Hope's work with Jamaican children.
• SafeStoreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStorage company in Clapham that has donated a storage unit worth more than £13,000 over six years for storing medical supplies.
• Instituto do Coração (Mozambique)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaputo Heart Institute where Chain of Hope conducts annual training missions, developing local skills in cardiac surgery and aftercare.
• Uganda Heart InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal cardiac centre in Uganda where Chain of Hope provides post-operative care and is building cardiac services.
• European Heart for ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean organization supporting cardiac care for children.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Children's Heart Foundation: Memphis-based charity running volunteer medical missions to perform pediatric heart surgery in developing countries. Closely aligned operating model of sending surgical teams and donated equipment abroad.
• Children's HeartLink: Minnesota-based nonprofit that partners with pediatric cardiac centers in low- and middle-income countries to train medical teams and build sustainable cardiac care. Highly comparable mission of pairing elite volunteer specialists with developing-country centres.
• Gift of Life International: US-based Rotary-affiliated charity providing pediatric cardiac surgery and treatment for children in developing countries. Chain of Hope explicitly collaborates with Gift of Life International on co-funded referrals (e.g., El Salvador patients).
• La Chaîne de l'Espoir: French sister organization founded by Professor Alain Deloche that provides pediatric cardiac surgery and medical training in developing countries. La Chaîne de l'Espoir actually seed-funded Chain of Hope UK in 1996 and operates an identical volunteer-mission + capacity-building model.
• European Heart for Children: European pediatric cardiac charity that funds life-saving heart surgery for children from countries lacking adequate cardiac facilities. Listed as a Chain of Hope partner and operates the same direct-treatment-plus-referral model.
• Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation: Egypt-based foundation established by Chain of Hope's founder Sir Magdi Yacoub to build cardiac care capacity (Aswan Heart Centre). Operates an essentially identical pediatric cardiac mission and capacity-building model in a different region.

Broad incumbents

• Samaritan's Purse: Large international relief organization running disaster response and medical missions globally. Comparable as a faith-based humanitarian NGO deploying volunteer medical teams internationally, though much broader in scope than pediatric cardiac.
• Médecins Sans Frontières: Global medical humanitarian organization providing emergency healthcare in conflict and disaster zones. Overlaps with Chain of Hope on delivering medical care to children in war-torn countries but operates across all medical specialties, not just cardiac.

Emerging players

• Palestine Children's Relief Fund: US-based nonprofit arranging medical treatment abroad for injured and sick Palestinian children. Chain of Hope is a referral partner; PCRF is comparable as a smaller pediatric medical-mission organization focused on a specific conflict-affected population.

Regional players

• Gift of Life Amman: Jordan-based pediatric cardiac charity co-founded with Rotary that treats children from across the Middle East. Chain of Hope explicitly partners with Gift of Life Amman on Jordan refugee missions for Syrian, Iraqi, and Palestinian children.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ChainofHopeUK
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVxlRap3vYTh4VHX4pG1WOQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChainofHopeUK
• Instagraminstagram.com/chainofhopeuk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chain-of-hope

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chain of Hope