Merries and Heartbeat Vietnam kick off fundraising campaign to support disadvantaged children with congenital heart defects

On April 4th, 2023 in Ho Chi Minh City, in celebration of the 40-year anniversary of the Merries brand, KAO Vietnam – Merries and VinaCapital Foundation (VCF) signed a memorandum of understanding to launch the fundraising campaign “Bring joy to thousands of Vietnamese hearts” to provide life-saving heart surgery and post-operation care for disadvantaged children in Vietnam through VCF’s Heartbeat Vietnam program. With mended hearts, the children will live a happy life and grow up healthy both physically and mentally.

Since the establishment in 1983, Merries, a premium diaper brand from Japan, has constantly researched and developed products to fulfill its mission of bringing joy to children and parents around the world. As this year celebrates their 40th anniversary, the brand desires to elevate its mission and bring happiness to not only its customers but also as many parents as possible. Toward that end, Merries cooperates with the Heartbeat Vietnam program to implement the fundraising campaign to support poor children with congenital heart defects in Vietnam. By doing so, the campaign aims to multiply the joy four times: it is the joy for Merries to mark its 40th milestone, the joy for newborns to wear comfy diapers, the joy for parents to see their babies smile, and the joy for the underprivileged families to receive medical support from Merries and the program.

For each package of Merries diapers purchased from authorized retailer, the brand will contribute 4,000 VND to the program. The campaign will last until May 30, 2023. After the campaign finishes, Merries and Heartbeat Vietnam will announce the total amount of funds raised. One hundred percent of the donation will provide free heart surgeries for disadvantaged children and cover the post-surgery expenses to provide comprehensive care and reduce the financial burden for families.

Mr. Yasue Shintaro, CEO of KAO Vietnam shares: “In line with KAO’s mission, each member of KAO Vietnam clearly understands the “why” we do business and the “how” we contribute to Vietnamese society. The fundraising campaign BRING JOY TO THOUSANDS OF VIETNAMESE HEARTS is one of the ways we choose to contribute to society. We believe this activity is necessary to bring Merries & KAO Vietnam closer to customers. And I also strongly believe in creating a better life for Vietnamese people through this activity.”

“As Heartbeat Vietnam reaches the milestone of its 10,000th child saved, we are thankful for the support and cooperation from numerous trusted partners like KAO Vietnam and Merries”, states Rad Kivette, CEO of VinaCapital Foundation, “It is a VCF’s honor to partner with KAO Vietnam and Merries in this wonderful fundraising campaign to improve the lives and livelihoods of families and bring a brighter future to our children. I believe this campaign is going to be a huge success because children will grow up healthy and fulfill their dreams.”

Founded in 2006, VCF’s Heartbeat Vietnam program has been devoted to saving little lives by improving access to free quality healthcare for poor children with congenital heart defects, helping them receive care timely treatment, and assisting their families with financial support. Heartbeat Vietnam ensures that sick children are identified and then receive their heart surgeries on a timely basis. Heartbeat Vietnam also provides family grants to families for pre and post-surgery expenses. Since its inception, Heartbeat Vietnam has saved more than 9,800 children with congenital heart defects, provided 865 Continuing Care packages for children to visit the hospital for check-ups and follow-ups, 728 Grants for families to have more resources to take care of their children, and 237 Scholarships for bright students to maintain their education.