Dr. Parag Patel and other medical professionals from FICCS visited Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya in May 2015 where they performed cardiac catheterization procedures and trained local doctors. FICCS also operates a Women's Center that provides fitness classes, self-defense training, and sanitary pads for disadvantaged women and girls to improve their health and empowerment. The Vanguard Group, located in Nairobi, has supported FICCS programs for over 30 years through logistics, installations, training, and volunteer services that are crucial to FICCS' cardiac and women's health initiatives in East Africa.

1. Dr. Parag V. Patel, President and Founder of FICCS trains cardiologist at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya in May
2015. Dr. Patel is also the Director of Cardiac ICU and Fellowship at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Il.
FICCS Newsletter
Cardiac Training
Improves Outcomes
Stacy Harris/EditorAugust 2015
www.ficcs.net
At the FICCS Women’s Center
the women and girls participate in
fitness classes to keep their minds
and bodies in shape and to ward
off any potential predators in the
slums. Women from the Box
Girls Kenya (pictured above)
program learn self defense
mechanisms through boxing skills
Self-Defense
Boxers Train at Women’s Center
In May 2015, Dr. Parag V. Patel, Caroline Farella, RN and
Mike Cutler, pacemaker specialist all visited Kenyatta
National Hospital in Nairobi. During their visit they
performed 8 cardiac catheterization
procedures, trained doctors and
treated former patients. One patient
had complete heart block and a heart
rate of 30 bpm. Without insurance
and any means to pay for surgery this
woman was destined to “suffer in
silence.” After years of training Dr. Patel proudly stated,
“We were able to leave behind a pacemaker
for them to implant after we left. Doctors are
now comfortable implanting a dual chamber
device on their own. This wouldn’t be
possible years ago.”

2. 2
The Vanguard Group
Brings Life to the Poor
From logistics and installations to service delivery and
training, the Vanguard Group, located in Nairobi,
Kenya has been an instrumental partner in the success
of FICCS programs for over three decades. Founded
in the mid 1980’s by Dr. Parag Patel’s grandfather, the
Vanguard Group consists of many different companies
including Nairobi, X Ray, Meditec Systems and Fuji
Film Kenya. In addition, the Vanguard Group
provides FICCS with volunteer services ranging from
accounting and human resources to biomedical
engineers and financing. In short, FICCS could not
provide such high quality cardiac care and women’s
and children’s health programs in East Africa without
the support of the Vanguard Group. A Vanguard
Group Biomedical Engineer (pictured below) installs a
donated anesthetic machine at a hospital in Nairobi.
A Winning Smile
Caroline Farella, RN
When Caroline (pictured above) first
arrived in Kenya all the way from
Illinois, she knew she had made the
right decision to assist Dr. Patel on his
mission. A career nurse Caroline works
with Dr. Patel at Advocate Lutheran
General Hospital in Park Ridge, IL.
Her impact was felt immediately. In
the hospital she coordinated all the
surgeries and trained the local nurses,
but her impact goes far beyond her
skills as a nurse and an educator.
While working with the women she
was a nurse, she was a mentor and
most importantly she was a friend to
the women. Caroline’s love for the girls
has helped improve their self-esteem,
boost their confidence, improve their
personal and family health but most of
all, it is her compassion and her
winning smile the girls love and will
remember for the rest of their lives!
10,000 Sanitary Pads
Sanitary pads have proved to be the most valuable gift we
are able to give the young women and girls. Young women
at the Center (pictured left) receive sanitary pads, which
keep them from missing school or work, but most
importantly the pads help them stay regular and boost their
morale. Most young women who cannot afford pads use
unsanitary methods, which oftentimes lead to infections
and other problems. To date, FICCS has donated over
10,000 sanitary pads to disadvantaged women and girls in
the slums of Nairobi. Our goal is to ensure that these
young women are not limited in pursuing their dreams.

3. 3
High School Scholarship Recipient
Graduates #5 in Her Class
Faith Muene, 18 (pictured above) is the first girl to
graduate High School on a FICCS scholarship. It is
because of Faith that FICCS started a High School
scholarship program. When we met her she was a
shy 8th
grader and despite coming from one of the
poorest neighborhoods in Nairobi and attending an
extremely poor school, Faith passed her 8th
grade
exams with excellent marks equivalent to her peers in
private schools. As a result, FICCS offered her a
scholarship and she did not disappoint us graduating
5th
in her class and because of her hard work she
currently is working as an intern at the Women’s
Center and will be attending Nursing College in 2016.
From extreme poverty to educational success, Faith is
an inspiration to other girls trying to get out of the
Maasai Girls
Graduate
Congratulations to Celestine Mainka and Elizabeth
Siyiantei (pictured above), both members of the
Shompole Group Ranch Maasai in Magadi, for
becoming the first graduates from the FICCS
Women’s Center internship program. During their
year stay in Nairobi they learned sewing, cooking,
computers, health and fitness and life skills in
addition to becoming role models for the girls back
in their rural communities. Now, both are
volunteering at local tailors in Magadi.
“Now I am a role model for all the
other girls in my community
(Magadi), thanks to FICCS.”
Celestine Mainka
www.ficcs.net
Malaika Nkotiko, 16 and Nkoisa Makooq, 16,
(pictured above) are the two newest Maasai interns
Ted Talks with Hawker’s Market
After a devastating fire gutted their facility and threatened
their program the Hawker’s Market Girls Center rebounded
as their new Girls Center is currently under construction at
the same location. (Pictured above) the Hawker’s Girls
participate in Ted Talks at the FICCS Women’s Center

4. Feeding 3000 Women and Children
Living in the slums of Nairobi is an unenviable and arduous task. Most young women and children are fortunate to get
one meal a day, yet here in the West we waste food on a daily basis. Lack of food leads to malnutrition, development
problems and even forces young women and girls into the streets to beg for food to feed their families. As a result,
FICCS has been feeding over 3000 women and children for the last four years to help ease this burden not only on the
girls, but also on the entire family. Oftentimes the family has to make a decision as to weather they eat or should they
pay rent. Food becomes a priority over school and most of the time it is the girls who lose out on an education.
“One person in four in Sub-Saharan Africa is undernourished”
World Food Programme, 2015
FICCS (Foundation for International Cardiac & Children’s Services)
Our Team
Stacy Harris Managing Director
Dr. Parag V. Patel President/Founder
Dr. Rupa Desai Member, Board
Prtten, Patel Member, Board
Bachu Patel Member, Board
Raju Arvindar Biomedical Engineer
Millicent Ila Program Manager
Caroline Akinyi Assistant Manager
Rebecca Maundu Medical Outreach
Peter Tingai Rural Outreach
Tejas Patel Communications
Shriya Patel Mental Health
Magda Harris Nutrition
Vanguard Group
www.ficcs.net
USA Office Nairobi Office Women’s Center
1010 Sheridan Road House of Vanguard Outer Ring Road
Wilmette, IL 60091 Fuji Plaza Faulu Building
224-875-1631 Westlands, Nairobi Kariobangi, Nairobi
Stacy@ficcs.net 254.20.733.512.802 254.20.722.824.364
Info@ficcs.net millicent@ficcs.net caroline@ficcs.net
As part of our corporate social responsibility
the Vanguard Group of Companies is part of
FICCS whose mission is to improve the
quality and accessibility of healthcare in
East Africa. FICCS provides durable
medical equipment, medical education,
training and resources to improve the
infrastructure and delivery of healthcare
services to the needy in East Africa. The
Vanguard Group includes Meditec, Fuji
Film Kenya and Nairobi X Ray.