Charity donors in Guangzhou, capital city of south China's Guangdong Province, should soon be able to find out how their money was used.
The Guangzhou Municipal Charity Federation is working on a new administration system aimed at improving transparency and efficiency. It will allow individuals and companies to track their donations.
"In the past years, some donors often questioned how much their donations have been used. Some doubted whether the funds had been used for needy people," said Li Weijie, vice-director of the federation.
The federation will also let the public know how funds have been used, hoping to boost public interest in the city's charity efforts, Li said.
People who are poverty-stricken and in need, including the elderly and orphans, make up nearly 10 percent of the population of Guangzhou.
Many of them do not have the protection of social medical insurance, the federation's statistics show.
The federation has aided more than 100,000 needy people in the city in the past years, Li said.
Since its establishment in June 1994, the federation has received donations worth 230 million yuan (US$27.8 million) from individuals and companies.
The municipal government also set aside 40 million yuan (US$4.8 million) to establish charitable hospitals in the past 10 years.
In addition, the federation invested about 190 million yuan (US$23 million) to set up 20 free charitable clinics.
In 2002, the Guangzhou Municipal Charitable Hospital was established, with an investment of 140 million yuan (US$17 million). To date, the hospital has provided free services for more than 1,200 needy people.
Construction of a special medical center is also under way for poverty-stricken elderly people who, in Li's opinion, are near death age and need more help from the public.
At a cost of about 1.1 million yuan (US$133,000), the center is expected to start operating at the end of this month and will provide 60 sickbeds for needy elderly people, Li said.
(China Daily July 5, 2004)
