A new fund for children suffering from congenital heart disease was launched yesterday under the Shanghai Charity Foundation, giving the local operation a national reach.

The Nu Skin Chinese Children Heart Disease Fund, supported by US-based Nu Skin Enterprise China, is backed by 10 million yuan (US$1.46 million) in donations from companies and will operate for at least 10 years.

It aims to help sick kids whose families are not able to afford adequate medical care, officials said.

The company will also devote 5 yuan from the profit of every Nu Skin Spa machine to the fund.

The Children's Hospital Affiliated with Fudan University has been designated to perform operations and provide other treatment to the children sponsored by the fund, the foundation said.

Nu Skin earlier established two similar funds in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, sponsoring at least 4,000 children, company officials said.

The Shanghai Charity Foundation has been serving children with congenital heart disease since 2003. About 110 local and migrant workers' children have received heart operations with the help of the foundation.

(Shanghai Daily November 7, 2008)