A child is tended after a corrective surgery of cleft lip at Hangzhou Plastic Hospital in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province January 8, 2007. Funded by the Smile Angel Foundation which was established by pop diva Faye Wong and her husband, first nine children with cleft lips and palates in Hangzhou underwent operations on Monday, and were expected to recover in two weeks. [newsphoto]

The charitable foundation launched recently by pop diva Faye Wong and her film star husband Li Yapeng has set an ambitious agenda for this year.

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With its support, more than 400 children from poverty-stricken families who suffer from cleft palates are expected to receive free operations this year.

The celebrity couple set up the Yan Ran Angel Foundation named after their daughter, who recently underwent surgery to treat her own cleft lip in November to help children born with cleft lips and palates. It will target children under 14 years of age.

The foundation has so far collected more than 12 million yuan ($1.5 million), according to Xinhua.

Wong's daughter, Li Yan, was born on May 27 last year. Li Yapeng said that the little girl had been born with a cleft lip in his blog in August.

"My wife and I don't intend to cover up the truth because it's related to a child, and we have a lots of things to do or we'll miss the best time for my daughter's treatment," Li said. "All we do is for the benefit of my daughter and for a good environment for her recovery."

Later Wong flew her daughter to the United States for plastic surgery.

Starting a foundation

The couple donated 1 million yuan ($125,000) to start the foundation in collaboration with the Red Cross Society of China.

Chinese pop diva Faye Wong and her actor husband Li Yapeng attend a charity ball to raise funds for their Smile Angel Foundation in Beijing, December 26, 2006. [Sina.com.cn]

The foundation hit the ground running it carried out free operations for three abandoned children from Shanxi, Beijing and Shandong last month.

"Guardians of children that meet the foundation's criteria can apply to the foundation for assistance," said Wang Rupeng, secretary-general of the Red Cross Society of China.

The society will earmark 20 percent of the Yan Ran Angel Foundation this year to help more than 400 poor children suffering from cleft lips and palates, he said.

Potential applicants can get information from the website - www.chineseredcross.org.cn.

Cleft lips and palates are common congenital deformities, said Yin Ningbei, a plastic surgeon at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.

"However, many poor families cannot afford the operation fees and so their children miss the ideal time for treatment."

In Beijing, the comparatively easier procedure to repair a cleft lip costs 6,000 yuan ($750). It costs 20,000 to 30,000 yuan ($2,500 to $3,750) to treat a baby both with a cleft lip and palate.

Many children miss the ideal time to have the surgery, which should be done from 10 days to three months after birth. The operation takes only 45 minutes.

There are 2.4 million children born with cleft palates living in the country right now, government statistics show.

People who would like to inquire about arranging a free operation for a child can apply to the Red Cross Society, which will draw up plastic surgery plans for qualified candidates after giving them a thorough check-up. The foundation will select eligible children and determine the amount of financial aid they should receive. The children's names will be posted on the web site of the Red Cross Society.

The children will undergo surgery at hospitals selected by the foundation.