(Yu Yilei, Li Xiang and Wang Zhenghua)
Updated: 2008-05-15 07:36

Individuals, companies and organizations have been giving what they can to help the victims of China's worst earthquake for more than 30 years.

The country's largest insurance firm, China Insurance, said yesterday it will support all children orphaned by the disaster, until they are 18.

China Life Chairman Yang Chao, who is in Sichuan province to investigate its customers' losses, said the money will come from the China Life Charity Fund, which was set up last year with 50 million yuan ($7.14 million).

"We are still discussing with local civil affairs departments, but we promise to help the orphans growing up," he said.

Sixteen state-owned companies from around the country have donated 113 million yuan to the relief effort.

Yesterday, the United States offered $500,000 in relief to help victims of the quake.

The donation is the first from overseas and will go toward the $10 million preliminary appeal launched by the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) today.

"The money will be used to assist the victims of the devastating event, to help them get through this traumatic period and get them back on their feet as soon as possible," the US Ambassador to China Clark Randt Jr said yesterday in Beijing.

Meanwhile, the International Federation of the Red Cross has been working in close cooperation with the Red Cross Society of China in the rescue effort.

"The IFRC has sent an assessment team to Wenchuan, the hardest-hit area of Sichuan to collect more information so we will be able to adjust our initial appeal to meet the actual need," Carl Naucler, head of the regional delegation of the IFRC, said.

The first batch of relief supplies from Russia - 24 tons of tents and quilts - arrived at Chengdu airport yesterday afternoon. A further 100 tons are expected later this week.

China's sports stars gathered in Beijing yesterday to make their financial contributions to the aid effort.

Hurdler Liu Xiang and his coach Sun Haiping donated 500,000 yuan. Liu said he heard about the disaster as he was flying home from Japan, where on Saturday he made a winning appearance at the Osaka Grand Prix event.

"We were deeply shocked and extremely anxious about the people as soon as we heard the sad news," Liu said.

Basketball player Yao Ming, who is recovering from a fracture of the foot in the US, also added 1.5 million yuan yesterday, in addition to the previous 500,000 yuan.

Almost all the athletes from the 22 national teams currently staying in Beijing attended yesterday's ceremony.

In Shanghai yesterday, there was a constant stream of people wanting to donate at the city's Red Cross branches.

Cai Jingfang, director of the community health service center in Gonghe Xincun, said: "People kept calling us to ask how they could donate."

Even the offices of street committees became temporary donation sites.

One elderly man from the Zhongyuang Liangwan community donated 50 yuan, despite his own financial hardships, which include having to look after his paralyzed wife.

"I've been to Sichuan many times, so I wanted to show I cared for those people who are suffering because of this terrible disaster."