On 31 January, the Belgian ambassador Patrick Nijs organized a dinner at his residence to welcome Mrs. Françoise Mathieu, the Director of Programs for the Foundation. Kashin-Beck disease (KBD), also known as ‘Big Bone Disease’ is a disabling disease of the bones and joints that leads to stunted growth and deformity of the joints. It mainly affects remote, rural populations and is very much a “disease of the poor”.
See their website www.kbdfund.org for more details.
It was the second dinner organized to meet the team that has been involved in research, treatment and prevention of this rare disease. The Foundation is one of the very few NGO with an office in Tibet, where today most of the KBD cases occur.

Among the guests was the Chairman & President of AIGO, Mr. Feng Jun, as well as the leaders of Tianjin Liho I&E Company. Both companies are very active in Belgium.
Françoise gave a presentation on the disease and we then all discussed further over dinner.