The new foundation is a non-profit organization that aims to assist children who are suffering from disorders including congenital oral diseases and their families in Vietnam. It will also

provide humanitarian aid to children in overseas countries in cooperation with the International Cleft Lip and Palate Foundation and the Japanese Cleft Palate Foundation. 

Currently, there are 200,000 cases of cleft lip and palate in Vietnam, which is estimated to have 300 additional cases each year. 

Over the past 18 years, Japan has worked with Vietnamese doctors to perform operations on about 2,000 people with cleft lips and palates. In addition, Japan has helped train Vietnamese doctors and cooperated with them in performing operations on patients in Laos. 

Also, Japan has carried out numerous studies on the causes of these deformities in Vietnamese children and put forward suitable preventive measures. 

Free-interest loans from the Japanese have benefited several poor families with children in need of surgery in the southern province of Ben Tre. 

VNA