Behind Every Smile Lies a Story of Courage

To celebrate the 26th anniversary of international medical missions, the Noordhoff Craniofacial Foundation (NCF) hosted the "Hou Yi Shui Shui" International Program Exhibition at Taipei Songshan Cultural and Creative Park in November 2024.

The phrase "Hou Yi Shui Shui" originates from Dr. Noordhoff, the NCF’s founder, who once expressed in Taiwanese his wish to help children with craniofacial conditions "become beautiful." His vision symbolizes NCF’s cross-border humanitarian efforts, reaching underprivileged cleft patients and family around the world.

This special exhibition highlights the transformative journeys of craniofacial children from the Philippines, Indonesia, and Mongolia, showcasing how they regained their smiles, confidence, and hope with NCF’s support. These international efforts not only repaired craniofacial children’s external facial deformities but also helped heal their emotional wounds.
As part of the exhibition, visitors were invited to engage in an interactive installation, "Face the Challenge!", where they navigated a tabletop maze with five symbolic challenges, representing the obstacles faced by NCF's international cleft missions.



NCF’s Global Impact: 26 Years of Cleft Missions

Since 1989, the NCF has been dedicated to providing holistic care for children with cleft lip, cleft palate and other craniofacial conditions.
In 1998, the NCF expanded our reach beyond Taiwan, launching an international cleft program. Over the past 26 years, NCF’s international medical missions have reached 9 countries, conducted 92 free missions, trained 183 seed doctors and provided treatment to over 23,370 patients worldwide.


Janine Tsai Joins the Mongolia Mission, Finds Strength in Craniofacial Children

At the exhibition’s opening press conference on November 6, 2024, NCF’s charity ambassador, Golden Bell Award-winning actress Janine Tsai, shared her emotional experiences from the 2024 Mongolia mission in August.
For the first time, she stepped into an operating room, witnessing NCF’s medical team performing life-changing craniofacial surgeries. "Even after winning the Golden Bell Award, I still struggle with self-doubt. But these children have shown me true strength. They are my greatest source of courage. Thank you, craniofacial children, for giving me courage." — Janine Tsai
The "Hou Yi Shui Shui" International Program Exhibition is a powerful reminder of the resilience of children, the dedication of medical teams and the importance of global humanitarian efforts. Through NCF’s ongoing mission, thousands of craniofacial children around the world continue to receive life-changing care.