China
Minsheng Banking Corp Ltd received a special "yearly prize of
contribution" for charitable donations made in 2005, at a ceremony
held on Tuesday in Beijing by the China
Foundation for Poverty Alleviation at the Great Hall of the
People.
The privately owned bank made a total donation of 31 million
yuan (US$3.8 million) last year to the foundation.
It is the biggest donation that the foundation has ever received
from a private enterprise in China.
"Social responsibility is an important indication of a healthy
and mature enterprise," Dong Wenbiao, president of the bank,
said.
Peng Linji, a Hong Kong businessman, donated the most as an
individual donor last year. He contributed 20.8 million yuan
(US$2.51 million) to the New Great Wall Project, which sponsors
impoverished college students.
Wang Xingzui, deputy executive director of the foundation, said
the foundation received donations of 180 million yuan (US$22
million) last year, compared to 116 million yuan (US$14 million) in
2004.
Wang said the foundation is currently running five projects to
help the disadvantaged. They are the Microfinance project, the New
Great Wall project, the Disaster Relief project, the Maternal and
Infant Health project, and Project Angel.
The Microfinance project provides small loans to poor farmers
over three years for agricultural production, such as planting and
livestock rearing.
The New Great Wall project gives an impoverished college student
a yearly endowment of 2,000 yuan (US$247) to cover their living
expenses. Since 2002, a total of 45 million yuan (US$5.55 million)
has been allocated to fund about 20,000 college students across
China.
(China Daily January 11, 2006)
