The Russian Federation National Award for Outstanding Achievements in Charity Work was awarded to Faina Zakharova
Faina Zakharova, who was born on September 10, 1952, in Moscow, is the President of the Life Line Charity Foundation for saving seriously ill children. Her awards include the Badge of Distinction for Charity and an Honourary Certificate of the President of the Russian Federation.
Faina Zakharova helped to launch charitable projects in Russia and drafted development strategies for a number of charitable organisations, as well as over 50 marketing and fund-raising programmes.
The Life Line Charity Foundation promoted the development of endo-vascular medicine for 12 years and helped children with congenital heart defects. Over 7,500 children with congenital heart defects have undergone operations with the Foundation’s support. A national endo-vascular surgery development strategy was drafted, over 200 workshops were organised, heart surgeons were trained, and a large-scale information campaign was conducted.
Established with Ms Zakharova’s support, the new sector of medicine elevated work to treat children’s heart defects to the level of state medical support. The state now allocates funding for high-tech operations.