IN BRIEF (Page 10)

107b yuan in donations

China received a total of 107 billion yuan in donations from home and abroad last year, 3.5 times the figure of 2007, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said in Beijing in early March. But the figure did not include donations from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, according to a report released by the ministry and the Zhongmin Charity Donation Information Center. About 77 percent of the donations have already been put to use, primarily to help people affected by the snow and rain disasters in south China in January and February 2008 and the 8.0-magnitude earthquake in southwest China on May 12. More than 47.66 million people benefited from the donations, the report said.

180 AIDS orphans

China Ribbon Foundation recently pledged a donation of 3.57 million yuan to help about 180 AIDS orphans go back to school. The Beijing-based philanthropic organization, initiated by a group of private entrepreneurs, said the money would be used to help a primary school in Longchuan County in southwestern province of Yunnan to build a three-story building with 15 classrooms. It would be able to accommodate at least 180 students who were forced to discontinue their education due to lack of support after they were orphaned by the AIDS virus, the foundation said on its Web site.

49 Macao businessmen

Macao people have donated 14.46 million yuan to the China Space Foundation (CSF), which came from 49 Macao businessmen and the non-governmental Macao Foundation. Of the fund, 2.5 million yuan will go to Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and 1.5 million yuan to Xichang Satellite Launch Center, said Hua Lusen, deputy director of the CSF council.

5 disabled

Chongqing Ziqiang Travel, which is said to be the first travel service provider for the disabled in China, has been opened recently.

The agency was started by five disabled people who will raise 30 million yuan within the year and launch a range of travel products to provide access to Chongqing's beautiful night views and suburban landscapes for the disabled and senior citizens. Each of the travel products will be priced at about 400 yuan.

(China Daily 03/23/2009 page10)