What does Monaco mean to you? When I hear Monaco I think of the famous entertainers and athletes who have settled there to take advantage of the fact that Monaco levies no income taxes, so it functions as a tax haven worldwide.
There is also a famous sports car event called The Monte Carlo Rally which has been held there since 1911. It is considered to be Monaco’s Grand Prix, organized by the Automobile Club de Monaco. Long considered to be one of the toughest and most prestigious events in rallying. For 35 years, from 1973 to 2008 it was the opening round of the World Rally Championship.
Probably the principal thing that sticks in my mind about Monaco is the recollection of the storybook romance between movie star Grace Kelly and Monaco’s Prince Rainier. A true affair of the heart.
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But the Principality of Monaco has an even bigger heart in the area of looking after the young. It practices as a matter of policy acts of kindness toward afflicted children in developing countries. I advocate acts of kindness on a personal basis. It is good to see them practiced as a matter of policy by a country.
Twelve-year-old Aminata Keita, who lives in the Republic of Mali suffers from cardimyopathy. This is a rare disease that requires open heart surgery to repair. That kind of sophisticated medical treatment is not possible in Mali. However, the Mother and Child Hospital there referred Aminita to the Monaco Thoracic Center for treatment.
Dr. Gilles Dreyfus of the Cardio-Thoracic Center of Monaco says it treats all thoracic diseases from newborns to the very old.
Repairing Animata’s faulty heart valves allows her to live for the next 15 to 20 years without problems.
This was made possible by the Monaco Public Fund helps to finance these activities in particular for children with cardiovascular disease in developing countries.
I have written about the benefits of acts of kindness several times in the blog. Anatomy of an act of kindness, Can you practice random acts of kindness?
Tony
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