(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-05-17 10:36

Overseas Chinese communities have offered generous donations for the earthquake relief efforts in China.

Wai-Yan Chau, president and CEO of the California-based Shin Shin Education Foundation, said his organization had raised $50,000 in emergency funds for schools in quake-affected areas of Sichuan province, where it had funded the establishment of 26 schools.

After hearing about the disaster in Juyuan Middle School in Dujiangyan, where more than 400 students were buried beneath rubble, a Sichuan sister community in Singapore immediately issued a call to action, raising 300,000 yuan for the school.

Chinese embassy officials in Uruguay said the overseas Chinese in the country have been scrambling to donate money to the disaster-stricken province.

In a letter of condolences presented to the embassy, overseas Chinese in Uruguay expressed their belief the survivors would soon overcome their strife and rebuild their homes under the Chinese government's strong leadership.

Uruguayan TV channels have reported the relief work in Wenchuan county, epicenter of Monday's 7.8-magnitude quake. Coverage from the Latin American country said the images from the county touched everyone, especially those showing the Chinese military's unremitting efforts to save lives.

In Venezuela, the economic and commercial counselor's office of the Chinese embassy, and the chamber of industry and commerce of Chinese enterprises in the country, contributed $45,926 on Thursday. Some foreign employees of PetroChina International Co Ltd in Venezuela also made donations for the disaster's victims.

Chinese enterprises and individuals in Venezuela had earlier donated $65,716 and 8,200 yuan for quake victims.

The Filipino-Chinese community has so far collected more than 13 million yuan in donations for quake relief efforts, the Chinese embassy in Manila said on Friday.

Filipino-Chinese groups, such as the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Association of All Filipino-Chinese Societies, and the Federation of All Filipino-Chinese Alumni have been mobilizing members and associates to donate.

China Daily-Xinhua