Together, We Create Smiles
On January 15, 2014, Nu Skin concluded its 9th Southeast Asia Children’s Heart Fund (SEA CHF) Board of Management Meeting in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The SEA-CHF continues to fulfill its mission of saving children’s lives.
Part of the board meeting agenda was to visit children wards in Hoan My Sai Gon Hospital. During the visit, the SEA CHF Board Members had a heartfelt meeting with Thach, a 14-year old Vietnamese, on her way to recovery after a heart operation. Thach Thi Thao was born with ventricular septal defect, a congenital heart condition wherein she experiences intense chest pain and shortness of breath. Her parents, seasonal workers bring-in a mere 50 VND for a day’s work. They were so poor, their neighbors had to build them a house of their own, a simple structure with thatch walls and dirt floor. Her deteriorating health and their financial circumstances, Thach struggles through school. With the success of surgery, Thach is looking forward to go back to school after she is fully recovered. Her dream is to become a teacher. The costs of Thach’s heart surgery was 48,000,000 VND. On the 1st week of January 2014, through the SEA CHF, Thach was able to undergo the life-saving operation.
On the same day, SEA CHF also signed a partnership agreement with the East Meets West (EMW) Foundation, whose mission is to help poor and disadvantaged communities in SEA. The foundation was established since 1988, with offices in Cambodia, Laos, East Timor, Philippines, Myanmar and India. This partnership will pave the way for our Distributor leaders in Vietnam to proactively volunteer in giving support to the patients, and participate in many different activities and programs.
As a testament to our commitment, the SEA CHF Board Members, along NSE Management presented a 1,000,000,000 VND check donation to the East Meets West Foundation. This will be the seed to start the corrective heart surgeries of children starting January 2014 and onwards.
The signing of partnership agreement by East Meets West Foundation, Ms. Van Ly (Regional Communications & Development Manager) and Nu Skin, Ms. Melisa T. Quijano (President, PAC & SEA Region) for SEA CHF witnessed by SEA CHF Board Members.
Left to Right: Mr. Pichet Sukkaniwast, Mr. Cao Minh Xuan Phuoc Lanh, Ms. Nguyen Thi Quynh Anh , Mr. Daniel Laogan, Ms. Pattarawan Sukkaniwast, Ms. Jasmine Yang (NSE, VP of Marketing, PAC & SEA Region), Ms. Pattraporn Wannavithayapa, Mr. Gritsanaphon Wannavithayapa, Mr. Chua Syer Cin, Mr. Willing Tan, Mr Trin Vichaidith, Mr. Neo Poh Lin, Ms Gina Paculaba, Mr. Paculaba Ferrer Ulysses, Ms.Helena Lee, Ms Antonia Chang (NSE, Group Market President), Ms Vicky Pakapun Leevutinun (NSE, President, TH & VN)
The SEA CHF continues to ask for your commitment to our goal of saving “4 Lives a Day”. In 2013 alone, more than 1M USD was donated by Nu Skin Distributors and employees in SEA to the Children’s Heart Fund. With this effort, nearly 900 children successfully underwent life-saving surgeries. As of December 2013 more than 5,800 children’s lives have been saved by the SEA CHF since its founding.
About SEA Children's Heart Fund
Established by Nu Skin Force for Good Foundation, Nu Skin’s Southeast Asia Children’s Heart Fund (SEA CHF) is a fund that came into being with the vision of helping children all over Southeast Asia who suffer from congenital heart disease and require medical treatment. SEACHF combines grants from the Nu Skin Force for Good Foundation, as well as donations from the company’s distributors and employees to fund corrective heart surgery for underprivileged children with congenital heart disease in Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. Over 5,800 children's lives have been saved since Nu Skin SEACHF was established in 2003. Nu Skin SEACHF partners with the Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Foundation (PCSF) in Thailand, Child Health in Life and Development (CHILD) Foundation in the Philippines, Club Rainbow in Singapore, Institute Jantung Negara (IJN) Foundation in Malaysia, and Yayasan Jantung Anak Indonesia (YJAI) in Indonesia and East Meets West (EMW) in Vietnam to find the children and to connect Nu Skin SEACHF with surgeons and hospitals.
