FINCA teamed up with Sisu Global to provide access to lifesaving devices to meet the increasing demand of trauma surgeries in Ukraine

BALTIMORE, M.d., June 15, 2022 – Sisu Global is assisting in the humanitarian crisis happening in Ukraine. There are currently 500 surgeries worth of Hemafuse in Kyiv hospitals to provide immediate access to blood for trauma patients. Sisu just reached our initial target of $110k in donations, allowing us to send our second shipment of Hemafuse devices to Ukraine. We are still accepting donations as we hope to continue increasing access to blood in Ukraine.

Hemafuse eliminates the need for donor blood in surgery by allowing clinicians to salvage and recycle a patient’s own blood. Recent research shows that patients have better outcomes when transfused with their own blood (autotransfusion). Hemafuse is a rapid and sustainable solution for operating on trauma patients in Ukraine because it can operate anywhere there is a surgeon, reduce surgical wait times, and offer access to blood when there may be no other option.

While Hemafuse has the potential to save lives in Ukraine, we wouldn’t be here without the help of our partners and contributors. FINCA International is a US-based not-for-profit that partners with and invests in social enterprises like Sisu Global. By working together, FINCA has expanded its partnership with Sisu by receiving donations, enabling the purchase of Hemafuse devices. This ensures that Sisu Global delivers the Hemafuse devices to organizations benefiting patients in Ukraine and those affected by the war.

“Hemafuse provides a cost-effective alternative to donated blood, saving lives in Ukraine that could have been lost due to a lack of blood, and helps reduce hospital stays as patients get access to blood more quickly,” said Colleen Zakrewsky, senior vice president of business development and external relations at FINCA International. “We are pleased to be able to assist Sisu’s life-saving efforts in Ukraine and around the world.”

The execution of shipping the first 500 surgeries worth of Hemafuse to Ukraine was made possible by our partnerships with Twin Global, Army SOS, Horizontal Connections, and Terumo. TWIN GLOBAL, a membership organization bringing together leaders from over 30 countries to build trusted relationships, create new partnerships, and invent the future, facilitated this donation and our partnerships with Army SOS and Horizontal Connections.

Army SOS delivers medicines, military equipment, & devices (excluding weapons) to the frontlines of the war effort. Their organization received the first 500 surgeries worth of Hemafuse units shipped to Poland and with help from Horizontal Connections—a Ukrainian NGO that leads projects on healthcare advocacy, education reform, and communication in palliative care—delivered Hemafuse to medical personnel on the frontline in Ukraine. Terumo helped increase the impact by donating additional supplemental blood bags for the first shipment.

Although we’ve reached our initial goal, there is still a need for blood in Ukraine. By visiting the funding campaign: Save Ukrainian Lives: Provide Access to Blood, you can make a 100% tax-deductible donation to FINCA today to help us continue saving the lives of those in need of a blood transfusion in Ukraine.

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Sisu Global

Sisu Global is a Baltimore-based medical device company that is exporting globally. We envision a world where medical technology enables access to healthcare in every community. Our novel autotransfusion device, Hemafuse™ can shorten the wait time to perform surgery, increase hospital efficiency and provide access to blood when there may be no other option. Sisu Global’s work has received numerous features such as Forbes 30 under 30, USA Today, CBS 60 minutes, and awards from the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Patents for Humanity, the Gates Foundation, and many others. To learn more about Sisu Global, visit Sisu Global Health | Home.

About FINCA International

FINCA International was founded in 1984 on a radical notion: giving small loans to the poor has the power to transform entire communities in a sustainable way. After impacting tens of millions of lives with responsible financial services, we are widening our focus to catalyze further economic growth and alleviate poverty in underserved markets around the world. We remain boldly committed to market-based solutions and are supporting the rise of social enterprises delivering basic service and financial innovation to help low-income families and communities achieve a better standard of living. For more information, visit www.FINCA.org or follow us on Twitter @FINCA.

Media Contact
RJ Cheremond, Communications Manager, FINCA International
[email protected]