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>View discussions about this entry País: Israel
Organization: CHEN - Patient Fertility Association
Year work began: - 2006
Focus of activity - Service/process
Project URL: fertlity tourism
Positioning in the Mosaic of solutions
What is your signature innovation in one sentence? - you can be parents even if you are not a rich person and by thinking about tourism.
Describe your innovation. What makes your idea unique and different than others doing work in the field? - Fertility Tourism to Israel combine the goal of getting pregant with low costs and visit Israel - the holy land in one trip. In Israel we have the best experts in the field since Israel is the land of fertility. We have the highest nubmber of IVF clinics per population and the highest number of IVF cycles per population. We can offer it to couples with the lowest price combine with the best success.
What barriers exist that are creating the problem your innovation is hoping to address/change? - In one word - budget!!! We would like to see every couple that wish to have a child, to have a child. We wish to supply the couple the best of medical treatment in Israel and we want to change the reality that lack of budget prevent couples to have a child. Touring is a relaxation state of mind and doing fertlity reatment at the same time can be better results.
Delivery Model: How do you implement your innovation and apply it to the challenge/problem you are addressing. - The model is apply to our association ( a non profit organization) and after checking with them the fertility problem we will connect them to one of the Israelis clinics . We will arrange for the couple all the needed details for become a patient in the clinic as well as the flights and accommodation in Israel. We also escort then to the treatment and take care for their needs in israel. We also offer the tour in Israel in the holy places so as stated above can assist and increase the success rate.
How do you plan to scale your innovation? - A couple that wish to have a child and cannot have it just because lack of budget is the worse thing I can think of. As a former patient (and now a mother of 2 children age 9 and 13 years ) I know the importance of our innovation and I know that this is the fist goal in couples' life. So it is highly important. We have voluteers that are trained espacially for this project adn are prepared to promote it.
Provide one sentence describing your impact. - TO create happy families!
What impact has your innovation had to date? Exactly who are the beneficiaries of your innovation? - The program has been promoted in USA as a fist step and published also in UK and Canda so we hope it will reachs the couples that need it the most and they are the beneficiaries of our project.
Please list any other measures reflective of the impact of your innovation - Creating happy families means that after having a child the couple can return the the wotk cycle in their countries. Their families and friend will be happy for them as well. Reduce the need of consulling. Reduce the frastration of the couples. A visit in the holy land and places in Israel can be one of the goals for the couple. For the Israeli side: tour in Israel and visit the holy places contributes the Israeli economy.
What are the main barriers to creating your impact? - The main barriers to promote the project is to publish it all over so as many couples that needs it will know about it. P.R. costs are very high and we need more budget in order to do it. We would like to make it possible for everyone and we need more budget to spred the news.
How is your initiative financed? - We have many volunteers that assist us. We have entered the newspapres with articles and with the pharmachetical companies that support us with this innovation we finance the project.
Provide information on your finances and organization: annual budget, annual revenue, number of staff: - Annual budget, annual revenue generated, size of part-time, full-time and volunteer staff. Our annual budget is about 15,ooo USD . Our budget is based on a pharmachetical companies and other private companies that donate our assosciation. We are ngo with volunteers basis only. We have 25 people - volunteers - that are working part time in our association.
Some of our budget is revenue out of our other projects such as : support groups, lectures in high schools and memebrs annual fee. What is the potential demand for your innovation? - As mentioned before we need the colaboration of other partners to spred the inovation all over and we need more budget to overcome the P.R. costs. Since we think that the project is important because we know that a wish for a child should not be a budget depanded .
What are the main barriers to financial sustainability? - We are small association with small budget. Fertility is a problem that really being ignored by most of the foundations . Where ever we apply for funds we are told that cancer is first . We are in the field of health but also in the field of welfare so most of the fondations do not deal with it. We have difficlties convince that infertility in a problem of so many couples and to get some funds for it.
What is the origin of this innovation? Tell us your story. - I am 48 years old married with 2 childen after a long battle . 7 years I had IVF treatments before I gave birth to my children. So My husband and I establsih the association after my late father CHEN how died 3 weeks before my eldest son was born. Our association is the only one in Israel that deals with all aspects of fertility: suppot groups, personal support by former patients, hot-line, change of lgioslation in the Israeli Knesstt and adding services and medications to the "basket of medical servces and medicines in the ministry of health. Lectures for high-achool pupils about preserviing their future fertility and legal assistance for legal rpoblems such at work. We also participate in international bodies such as ICSI - the international fertility association forum, AIA - the african fertility forum, IAPO - the internatinal patient roof organization - I am memebr of confernces committee ,Epha - the European health forom, EMEA - the European patients forum. I am Part of Stem Cells form in ROME by Associazione Lucacoscioniand WFAM - the wworld family month forun - I am memebr of board. In Israel I am memebr of the women council in my city - Holon and member of the roof patient organization. Last year I got an award from the mayor of my city for my voluteering activities.
Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers marketing material - I am M.A. in Publich policy from Tel-Aviv University. worked 26 years a projects manger in international compnaies. Retired 2 years ago since I suffered Reumatic Arthrithise . I voluteered in the Israelli association for RA as well - participating in international conferences.
CHEN patient fertility Association is my main volunteering work for the last 9 years. I am also a specialist in women working conditions & rights and handycapt people rights. Contact Information:
Ofra Balaban
Chairperson of CHEN Patient Fertility Association CHEN - Patient Fertility Association (NGO) Discussions about this entry
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fertlity tourism to Israel - IVF - in vitro fertilization with the best experts in the world - lowest costs
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Hi, Ofra,
I've just come across an article in a Jewish online magazine in which the writer draws associations between her fertility and Jewishness. I wonder whether you might not want to reach out to the writer -- or to the publication -- as they might be interested in knowing more about your work/program. (I've already "introduced" you to them via a post to their online discussion.... )
http://www.nextbook.org/cultural/feature.html?id=420&message=
Best,
Diane
Changemakers
Ofra Balaban chairperson - CHEN - Patient Fertility assosciation, Israel
Thank you diane.
For fertility tourism visit our new site: www.amotatchen.org
we combine fertility and tourism in the holy land.
Ofra Balaban chairperson - CHEN - Patient Fertility assosciation, Israel
Dear Dianne,
Health and tourism is a joint venture and while prepareing for tourism you may also ahve fertility treatment. This is health department I saw ans the only one in the competition. Do you see other secor kindly let me know so I will insert it and change the position.
Many thanks,
Ofra
Regretably, Ofra, the Changemakers competition probably best suited to your project is one on "Disruptive Innovations" -- one for which entries are no longer being accepted. At the same time, I do think it's worth your while to check the Changemakers website periodically, as the organization will continue to develop and launch new competitions. With any luck, you'll find one well-suited to your innovation before too long.
Thanks again for your interest; and best of luck with your project.
Diane
Changemakers
Ofra Balaban chairperson - CHEN - Patient Fertility assosciation, Israel
We will try our best.
Thanks for your entry, Ofra. Your project seems a really great and important one -- one that promises both to contribute to really important benefits to parties on all sides (eg families and doctors) and to address a few structural difficulties. At the same time, I don't quite see how your innovation involves a 'game" or requires from communications technology anything more than what the phone or email can provide. What is it that I'm missing?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
Diane
Changemakers