INTERVIE stainless steel pipe W-In new move, China's Red Cross funds NGOs
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INTERVIEW-In new move, China's Red Cross funds NGOsPublished: 08 Mar 2009 17:55:26 PST
* First China quake aid via NGOs is "real change"

* Results seen as "very good"


BEIJING, March 7 - China's Red Cross for the firsttime disbursed money to non-governmental organisations after amajor 2008 earthquake, making a successful departure from solelystate-sponsored action, a top official said in a rare interview.

Individuals, corporations and overseas chapters donated19.05 billion yuan ($2.79 billion) to the Red Cross Society ofChina to help rebuild after the May 12 earthquake killed morethan 80,000 people and left at least 5 million homeless inSichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi provinces.

The Red Cross in turn disbursed 20 million yuan tonon-government organisations in an unprecedented recognitionthat government alone could not solve all of society's problems.

"It was a real change for us. Before, we tried to doeverything ourselves, but we didn't have enough people,"executive vice president Jiang Yiman told Reuters in aninterview at China's annual legislative meeting.

"Besides, we are founded on the volunteer principle and weneed to leverage that in society."

The earthquake that shook China galvanized civil society, asvolunteers rushed to bring food and water and dig out victims,while common people opened their wallets like never before.

The central government moved to restore control after thequake, limiting volunteers' access to the disaster zone andmandating that all donations had to go through the Red CrossSociety of China and other approved organisations.

By November, however, the tide had reversed again. The RedCross disbursed money for specific projects to privatefoundations and groups that had proven their worth in Sichuan.

"The results have been very good," Jiang said.


TRANSPARENCY

The need to assure Chinese citizens that their money waswell used drove the Red Cross to publish the donations itreceived, followed by a second report on where donations ofgoods had gone.

A final report, due out before the first anniversary of theearthquake, will detail where the money has been spent. Thatcould help answer Chinese citizens' concerns about transparency,and aid organisations' questions about how money is disbursed.

The Red Cross Society of China collected about a quarter ofthe 76 billion yuan in donations for earthquake relief.

The majority, or about 11 billion yuan, is managed by localchapters that are working with local governments on rebuilding aparticular area. China has paired each quake-hit city or countywith a province that is responsible for its reconstruction.

The national Red Cross received 7.9 billion yuan inearthquake funds, about one-third of which came from Red Crosschapters overseas, in Taiwan or in Hong Kong.

It has disbursed about 4 billion yuan to rebuild homes,rural schools and clinics, Jiang said. The Red Cross also helpedsupply tents, quilts and food in the immediate aftermath.

Jiang could not give a figure for how much the localchapters have disbursed.

The National Audit Office, which was recruited to ensurepropriety in earthquake relief, said on Dec. 31 thaWaterproof socks クレジットカード 現金化 大阪 lightning arrester クレジットカード 現金化 口コミ