RCSC Lushan quake donations hit ¥1.2bn

The Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) has received donations worth more than 1.2 billion yuan (about 195.5 million U.S. dollars) to help in the aftermath of an earthquake that claimed 196 lives in southwest China's Sichuan Province a year ago. As of Sunday, donations totaled 1.202 billion yuan, including money and goods, said RCSC official Zha Huiqin, adding that 93 percent of the donations have come from individuals. "The high percentage of individual donations reflects people's willingness to help," Zha said. According to the China Charity and Donation Information Center, the money and goods received by the RCSC take up 40 percent of the nation's total donations toward relief of the 7.0-magnitude quake, which struck Lushan County at 8:02 a.m. on April 20, 2013. Some 83 percent, or 994 million yuan's worth, of the donations received by the RCSC has been used for reconstruction following the quake. According to Zha, to ensure proper use of the donated money, the RCSC has established a special quake reconstruction office to handle all projects. The office coordinates and supervises the use of the donations.