The Chinese Red Cross Foundation launched a welfare programme over the weekend to help poor children with congenital heart diseases to receive operations.

Ten children living in rural areas in Heilongjiang Province became the first group to benefit from the programme, dubbed "Angel Sunshine Project," by getting 100, 000 yuan (US$12,500) medical treatment fund. Each year, China has 140,000 babies born with congenital heart disease and only 60,000 of them are able to get operations. Many families abandon medical treatment due to financial problems, and medical experts said that 99 per cent of children with the disease are able to recover from operations.