Paediatric heart disease causes death or disability in 15
million children around the world each year – a fi gure
staggeringly disproportionate to available and relevant
international funding and support. Although 80% of the
burden of cardiovascular disorders fall in low- and middleincome
countries, poor countries have a very limited capacity
to build a system of care to address heart disease,
including prevention, care, control and research. In this
article, authors who work in or with Rwanda’s public sector
aim to describe the current state of heart disease among
children, what is currently being done to manage care and
future directions for the national programme. As the world
turns its attention to non-communicable diseases and seeks
to ensure that they fi nd a prominent place in the post-2015
development agenda, it is essential to ensure that children
are not left behind.