I had the honor to meet Mrs. Zeina Kassar Kassem, the president and founder of the Roads For Life – Talal Kassem Fund for Post-Accident care few weeks ago and I got to learn about the outstanding work this NGO has been doing for the past few years. Mrs. Kassem lost her 17-year old son Talal after he was run over by a raging driver on his way to school four years ago, yet despite her huge loss, she decided to make a difference and start the Talal Kassem foundation to “promote road safety and provide road victims the optimal support for post-trauma care”.
Roads for life has been doing a tremendous job by giving trauma surgeons, emergency physicians, nurses and Red Cross volunteers world-class training to help improve the chance of survival for road victims in the first 60 minutes of the accident (also known as the golden hour). Surgeons and Physicians from all hospitals in Lebanon are being offered the Advanced Trauma Life Support course (ATLS) which is certified by the “American College of Surgeons” in Chicago, nurses get the ATCN training while Red Cross volunteers get the PreHospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) course.
Roads for life decided to tackle a cause that concerns us all, and worked hand in hand with professionals to enhance the quality of “Trauma Care” throughout the Lebanese territory. Getting the proper treatment at the right time and the right place can substantially help a patient and maybe save his life.
Here are the numbers of people Roads for Life has trained since 2011:
– 260 Red Cross volunteers and staff members.
– 216 trauma surgeons and physicians from over 65 hospitals all across Lebanon.
– 48 nurses.
It is worth noting that no more than four doctors are present in every ATLS session and that the mannequin they train on costs tens of thousands of dollars and is valid for one training only. Therefore, training over 200 physicians is a huge achievement and a great step forward for Lebanese hospitals.
Here’s a small report on Roads for Life and how Zeina Kassem has overcome this tragic day and founded Roads for Life to help save more lives and making the Lebanese roads a safer place.
You can learn more about Roads for Life and how you can help them [here].
Roads For Life Values:
Enable world-class post-trauma capacity building to physicians, nurses and first aiders in Lebanon
Lobby for the development and enforcement of better legislations related to road safety, and ensure their sustainable implementation
Establish and maintain relationships with government entities as well as local and worldwide NGOs to mobilize road safety stakeholder and have a stronger impact
Increase awareness on best practices for driving and avoiding road accidents as well as the consequences of reckless behavior.
