About
World Children’s Initiative “WCI” is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving and rebuilding the healthcare and educational infrastructure for children in developing areas both domestically and worldwide. WCI firmly believes that only through adequate health and educational initiatives will the bodies, minds and hearts of destitute children worldwide be properly nourished and prepared for successful and productive lives. WCI seeks to accomplish this goal through strategic partnerships with U.S. and foreign corporations, leading universities and academic institutions, and governmental and non-governmental entities, who are operating to serve this population.
WCI helps children play harder and live longer.
Gift, a 5 year-old Ugandan girl, receives a check-up after a successful heart procedure provided by WCI
Presidents Clinton & Bush review plans for WCI’s Project Peds: Sri Lanka and provide seed-funding
WCI Community
The volunteer-based WCI community is comprised of highly motivated and talented professionals (doctors, lawyers, artists, and teachers).
Project Heart: Uganda Team
Faz Azad, Nisha Azad, Shejal Carpenter, Tanuj Chopra, Melissa Daluvoy, Stephanie Gannon, Maruf Haider, Suraiya Kureshi, Sedi Pak
Project Peds: Sri Lanka Team
Felix Amerasinghe, Chaminda Wijetilleke, Sriya Gunawardena, Eric Hess, Shireen Idroos, Bryan Fine, Ericka Fink
The Team
WCI is a wholly volunteer-run organization. Our Directors do not draw salaries, ensuring that your donations directly help children in need.
Inspired by their trip to Sri Lanka to assist the victims of the December 26, 2004, Indian Ocean Tsunami, three close friends from college, founded World Children’s Initiative.
Sanjay Daluvoy, MD – Founder & Executive Director
Born in Brooklyn, New York and grew up in Los Angeles, California. He attended Brown University and Jefferson Medical College and then completed his general surgery residency at George Washington University in Washington DC. He is currently doing his plastic and reconstructive surgery fellowship at Duke University in North Carolina. Prior to medical school, he founded a healthcare IT company in the Bay Area named, Infinity Markets. He has also worked in healthcare consulting and for the Agency for Healthcare Policy and Research analyzing the economic impact of proposed health legislation.
Pratheepan Gulasekaram, Esq – Founder & Director, Education Programs, Operations
Born in Sri Lanka and grew up in Los Angeles, California. He attended Brown University and Stanford Law School. He has served as law clerk to the Honorable Jacques L. Wiener, Jr., of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and he has practiced as a litigator at the national firms of O’Melveny & Myers LLP and Susman Godfrey LLP. Pratheepan has taught in middle schools, but most recently has taught law at Loyola University Law School in New Orleans, New York University School of Law, and is currently teaching constitutional law at Santa Clara University. http://law.scu.edu/faculty/profile/gulasekaram-pratheepan.cfm
Kanishka Ratnayaka, MD – Founder & Director, Healthcare Programs & Marketing
Born in Sri Lanka and grew up in Athens, Georgia. He attended Brown University and Emory University School of Medicine. Since then, he has completed his Pediatric Residency, Chief Residency, and Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship at Children’s National Medical Center (CNMC) in Washington DC. Kanishka now serves as an Assistant Professor for GWU & Interventional Pediatric Cardiology at Children’s National Heart Institute.
Sedi Pak – Creative Director
Born in Korea and grew up in Los Angeles, California. A contemporary painter and sculptor, Sedi has spent a lifetime developing her personal approach to visual art. She works with designers in LA and NY doing murals and decorative Trompe-l’oeil work in the classic Italian and French styles. She is currently working on Environmental Installations specifically designed for and inspired by the LA landscape and the people inhabiting it. She is a member of the Los Angeles Art Association. She currently lives and works in Los Angeles.
WCI Pro Bono Legal Counsel – Peter Werner, Esq., Cooley Godward LLP, San Francisco, California
