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Fund granted for disaster relief in China
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The Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee today (Thursday) approved four grants totalling $15 million from the Disaster Relief Fund for flood and earthquake victims in China.
A Government spokesman said the grants were made in response to four applications, one each from the Hong Kong Red Cross and World Vision Hong Kong and two from Oxfam Hong Kong. These include:
For flood victims in China:
Oxfam Hong Kong
$2.5 million
Hong Kong Red Cross
$6 million
World Vision Hong Kong
$5 million
For earthquake victims in Yunnan:
Oxfam Hong Kong
$1.5 million
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The widespread flooding in China has affected 10 provinces along the Yangtze River and more than 100 million people in the region, while the earthquake in Yunnan has affected 340 000 people.
The spokesman said, "the Committee is satisfied that the applications are in line with the guidelines for grants from the Fund. And the relief, organisations which received the grants are required to submit to the Hong Kong Government an evaluation report and an audited account on the use of the money.
"The Committee is also concerned that these recent disasters have not attracted much public attention in Hong Kong, and appeals to the public to give a helping hand."
A total of $32 million has been granted since the setting up of the Disaster Relief Fund in December 1993. As the main source of the Fund comes from public donations and appropriations from the General Reserve, the spokesman called on members of the public to make donations to the Fund.