East China's Shandong Province has decided to make May 18
"Charity Day" to urge more residents to help the less
fortunate.
The date is pronounced in Chinese as "wu yao ba", which sounds
very much like "wo yao fa", or "I will make a fortune". The date
has therefore been an auspicious one to get married or launch a new
business.
But the Shandong provincial government has decided May 18 should
read as "wo yao bang", meaning "I will help" in Chinese.
Top donors and other generous individuals received awards from
the province's charity federation on Friday.
Among them, Eunice Moe Brock, a 90-year-old woman from the
United States, was also honoured as one of the top 10 most
charitable people for her affection and benevolence toward the
Chinese.
Settling in Shandong in 1998, she has been trying to improve
medical care facilities in a number of villages, and has donated
more than 300,000 yuan.
In recent weeks Shandong also launched a massive one-yuan
donation program to involve more people in charity work.
By donating just 1 yuan (13 cents), donors get a red ribbon bow
to symbolize love and kindness.
Charity organizations in Shandong Province have received 1.3
billion yuan in donations in the past decade. The money has helped
more than 2 million people.
Many people in China have proposed that a national Charity Day
be set up.
"China's charity work has developed rapidly for a developing
country," said Zhang Liwei, deputy secretary of the Amity
Foundation, an organization dedicated to education and the
alleviation of poverty.
But he called on more ordinary people to get involved in
charitable causes.
Statistics show that private donations last year amounted to a
mere 1.7 billion yuan ($221 million), that is, a per capita
donation of just over 1 yuan.
(China Daily May 19, 2007)