Children's Heart Project began in 1997 in response to a critical need in Bosnia. Hospitals were damaged and doctors fled the country during the ethnic conflict in the mid-1990s. Doctors working with Samaritan's Purse were able to aid many people, but were helpless when they became aware of Bosnian children with heart defects.

Samaritan's Purse agreed to help and brought two patients, a boy named Majo and a girl named Nasiha, to Charleston, S.C., in August, 1997, for operations. The children had difficulty breathing and they were on the verge of death. The surgery saved their lives, and they were able to return home and lead active lives.

The project rapidly expanded after the first two operations. Dozens of hospitals throughout North America have provided heart care for hundreds of boys and girls from Bosnia, Uganda, Nigeria, Mongolia, Honduras, and Kosovo.

In addition to medical care in the U.S., the Children's Heart Project has provided state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment and training for doctors overseas. Samaritan's Purse has donated echocardiogram machines to Bosnia, Kosovo, and Mongolia. The machines enable doctors in those countries to better diagnose defects, identify candidates for surgery, and ensure that the children are matched with the proper specialists in the U.S.

In addition to saving lives, the Children's Heart Project also has led many people to faith in Jesus Christ through the evangelical efforts of host churches and families, who are just as vital to the ministry as the doctors and hospitals.

The patients typically spend five weeks or more in the United States during their care and recovery. While in the country, they stay with a Christian family. The hosts take their guests to church, and witness through their words and their actions. Because of the ministry of the families and churches, several of the patients and their families have received Christ. They have taken the Gospel message back home, sometimes to parts of the world that restrict outside evangelists.