Kang Min Ho, general director of LOTTE Mart Viet Nam, hands over a donation of VND200 million to Tony Duong of Operation Smile Vietnam.

As part of its continuing efforts to bring better things to the local community, LOTTE Mart Viet Nam recently donated VND200 million (US$8,810) to Operation Smile to funding surgeries for children with lip deformities.

It marks a long-term partnership between LOTTE Mart and Operation Smile and at the same time strongly affirms LOTTE Mart’s community action strategy.

The VND200 million will be used to provide free surgeries for 40 children with cleft lips and palates. They are expected to be performed at the HCM City Medical University Hospital in March next year.

This is the third time that LOTTE Mart is sponsoring Operation Smile, hoping to bring smiles to children’s faces and help them feel more confident in life.

In March last year and this year LOTTE Mart had joined hands with Operation Smile to offer free surgeries for more than 40 children.

This is the third time that LOTTE Mart is joining hands with Operation Smile to provide free reconstructive surgeries for children with cleft lips.

Speaking at the ceremony to present the donation, Kang Min Ho, general director of LOTTE Mart Viet Nam, said co-operating with Operation Smile was an “honour” for his company.

The VND200 million donation came from LOTTE Mart’s community charity fund called Choice L Foundation Fund.

“Through this connection, LOTTE Mart expects Operation Smile in particular and community organisations in general will keep developing to bring happiness to people in difficult situations."

Operation Smile has, over more than 30 years in Viet Nam, provided wonderful journeys to children through free surgeries, offering them a bright future and helping them nurture dreams.

In March this year LOTTE Mart and Operation Smile collaborated to provide free surgeries for 20 children with lip deformities at the Medical University Hospital.

LOTTE Mart is also involved in a similar effort, and that is the reason for the long-term co-operation between the two.

Besides the action plan to bring smiles to disadvantaged children, LOTTE Mart has also carried out other community programmes, especially the founding of the Choice L Foundation Fund.

Since being established, the fund has undertaken many meaningful programmes, including awarding scholarships to 48 outstanding students, giving useful gifts to poor people and organising art programmes for children and a “Dream tour” for disabled and other disadvantaged children.

It also donated more than 9,000 kilogrammes of rice to charity establishments in Khanh Hoa Province, and gifts to 650 poor people on the occasion of the Vu Lan festival.

Most recently it donated relief materials to people in Khanh Hoa and Phu Yen, who were badly affected by Storm No.12.