The "Love Makes Whole” Medical Mission Team first traveled to the Philippines in 1999. The late Dr. Noordhoff, founder of the NCF, led the last mission in 2009, making this year's visit a significant event after a 14-year gap. Since the first mission, the NCF has carried out 12 medical missions in the Philippines, providing assistance to more than 300 patients and training 11 local medical professionals.


This year’s mission not only provided free cleft lip and palate surgeries but also supported Dr. Dax Pascasio, an NCF seed doctor, in establishing the first craniofacial center in southern Philippines. The new center will allow local patients, especially those facing financial difficulties, to receive comprehensive care without the need to travel to Manila.


Since launching the "Cleft Lip and Palate International Aid Program" in 1998, NCF has completed 90 missions across nine countries, including the most recent one in the Philippines, assisting 2,273 craniofacial patients. Moreover, the NCF has trained 183 craniofacial medical professionals from 21 countries, establishing craniofacial teams or centers in the Philippines, Mongolia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Xi’an, China.