RCSC press release on its operation
At the Press Conference held by Information Office, State Council, May 30, 2008
The Chinese Red Cross at all levels are mobilizing resources from home and
abroad to respond to the 5.12 earthquake. The Red Cross relief operation
is carried out based on the needs of communities affected and in line with
the overall national plan for emergency response as well as long-term
recovery.
1. Emergency response
Immediately after the 5.12 earthquake happened, the Chinese Red Cross
activated its top contingency plan. Relief items including 557 tents and
2,500 quilts and other materials were released at 16:00 the same day from
its Chengdu Disaster Preparedness Center . Distributions were made in
Dujiangyan, Mianzhu, Beichuan and Pengzhou overnight. A national emergency
appeal was launched.
On May 13, the Chinese Red Cross set up earthquake response coordination
center and sent assessment team to the field. The same day, 6 medical
teams from Shanghai Huashan Hospital , Armed Police General Hospital ,
Beijing Red Cross, the Hebei Red Cross, Anhui Red Cross, Hunan Red Cross
were deployed.
On May 15, Chinese Red Cross sent 10 staff to set up a coordination office
based in Chengdu and another 28 staff based in 6 prefectures of
Dujiangyan, Deyang, Aba, Mianyang, Guangyuan, and Ya'an. These relief
coordinators are from National HQs and some other Provincial Red Cross.
They are responsible to coordinate the transportation and distribution of
relief items. They are also working on the recovery planning together with
local people.
Chinese Red Cross Executive Vice President Jiang Yiman, Vice President Su
Juxiang, Vice President Guo Changjiang, Secretary General Wang Haijing
have traveled to 8 affected counties in Sichuan and Shaanxi to direct and
coordinate relief operation on the spot.
2. Resources mobilization
Chinese people donate generously to the Red Cross through banks, post
offices, Internet, mobile phone, etc. On May 15, a preliminary
international Emergency Appeal was launched through the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, seeking 20 million
Swiss francs (about 130 million yuan) which has been fully covered. A
revised international appeal is going to be launched soon.
As at 18:00 on May 29, the Chinese Red Cross at all levels have raised RMB
10.332 billion in cash and in kind. The National Office has received RMB
3.605 billion in cash (excluding contributions from International Appeal
and from Hongkong, Macau and Taiwan ) and RMB 335 million in kind.
According to the report from branches, local Red Cross branches have
received RMB 5.09 billion in cash and RMB 1.302 billion in kind.
So far, Chinese Red Cross has allocated RMB 2.019 billion for operations
in Sichuan , Gansu , Shaanxi , among which RMB 660 million is from the
National Office. The relief items worth RMB 331 million dispatched by the
National Office include: 38,639 tents, 89,394 quilts, 240,100 clothes,
7,490 boxes of medicines, 65,929 boxes of food items, and 70,534 pieces of
other items. A big airlift operation is ongoing to send 100,000 tents from
other Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, among which 9,000 have arrived
and another 91,000 are in pipeline and will arrive in Chengdu by the end
of June.
Following the overall plan of the State Council, Chinese Red Cross has
committed RMB 500 million from the domestic donation to the transitional
building of schools and clinics. The balance of donation received by
Chinese Red Cross will be used for long-term recovery, including building
new permanent houses, clinics, schools, and other community based recovery
programs.
3. Health and Psycho-social support
Six medical teams from Shanghai Huashan Hospital, Armed Police General
Hospital, Beijing Red Cross, Hebei Red Cross, Anhui Red Cross and Hunan
Red Cross are working in An county (Anchang town), Pingwu county, Mianzhu
stadium, Mianzhu Jiulong town, Shifang city, Mianyang Jiuzhou stadium. As
of now, the medical teams have provided basic health care services to
16,732 sick and wounded people.
Two teams of psychological supporters are working in Mianyang City
providing counseling services. Olympic champions Deng Yaping, Yang Yang,
Gao Min, Xie Jun, Mo Huilan, Sun Haitao, and other celebrities also joined
the team to encourage the people affected, young students and rescue
workers in particular.
Chinese Red Cross coordinated and facilitated the operation of Taiwan Red
Cross search and rescue team (mission ended), Taiwan Red Cross medical
team (mission ended), German Red Cross Field Hospital (started on May 27
in Dujiangyan), Russian medical team (based in Pengzhou), Japanese medical
team (based in Huaxi hospital in Chengdu), as well as Italian medical team
(based in Mianzhu Xiaode town). These medical teams have 162 members, by
now have treated 2,885 people, provided psychological support to 314
people.
4. Financial management and accountability
Chinese Red Cross works in line with Chinese Red Cross Law and other
regulations. On May 15, the National Office issued a notice to all
branches, requesting that Red Cross at all levels must strictly follow the
financial rules and use the donation effectively. On May 18, the National
Office issued another notice and stressed that all funds earmarked for
earthquake operation should be used according to donor's wish. Any form of
detention, embezzlement, interception or misuse is prohibited.
On May 22, the National Office once again issued a notice, making it clear
that all donations for the earthquake will be used in relief and recovery
operation, including relief materials procurement, transportation,
distribution, temporary housing, reconstruction of permanent houses,
schools, clinics, recruitment of relief volunteers, relief
personnel(including medical teams, relief teams, psychological support
teams) and other related expenditures. All earmarked donation should be
used according to donor's wish. The National Office reiterated that the
Red Cross at all levels shall not charge management fee from "5.12"
earthquake contributions.
Meanwhile, Chinese Red Cross will regularly publicize information on how
the relief funds are being used. At present, the National Audit Office has
started to monitor the Chinese Red Cross operation. The audit report will
be updated and publicized each month.
5. The role of volunteers
Chinese Red Cross have recruited more than 10 million volunteers in its
relief operation. Red Cross volunteers have played an important role in
evacuation, relief distribution, services provision and fundraising.
On May 12th, students from Beijing Electronic College and Beijing City
College came to Chinese Red Cross National Office to help answer the
phones. Since May 13th , about 100 Red Cross volunteers work at National
Office. Industrial and Commercial Bank and Construction Bank Beijing also
provided staff as volunteer working at Chinese Red Cross. To address the
problem of hotline congestion, Netcom Beijing added a new hotline for Red
Cross: 4006139999 and provided 68 professional staff on duty. Since its
opening on May 16th , the hotline received 56,607 calls by May 28th . The
get-through rate is 93.02%.
By May 21st, Sichuan Red Cross has sent 5,600 relief volunteers in 68
teams. Red Cross volunteers across the country took action as well and
participate in the rescue, relief distribution, blood donation, and other
services. In the days ahead, Red Cross volunteers will continue to be
actively involved in the earthquake relief and recovery.
6. Clarifications of some rumors
Recently, there are some rumors on the Internet about the integrity of
Chinese Red Cross. Some issues we have clarified, and some cases are
reported to the Police. For example, Shanghai Police has cracked down a
fundraising fraud using the name of Red Cross on the internet. Eight
suspects from Loudi , Hunan Province were arrested in Guizhou . Another
fraud case is a store owner in Chengdu put Red Cross logo on his
commodities to get privilege of free transportation. According to the
local authority, there is no report of misconduct of Red Cross people.
There are also false news spreading, such as this one: "Zhongjiang County
Red Cross purchased medicines for RMB 10,000, but request invoice of RMB
50,000". According to the investigation report of Zhongjiang County
government, the story is not true.
As for the price of tents we procure, I would like to clarify here again,
Chinese Red Cross National Office has so far distributed 18,510 tents
(excluding tents donated from outside China ). The total value is RMB
21.75 million, or RMB 1,175 per tent on average. The tents we distributed
are of various specifications, some are winterized, some are bigger. ..
The procurement rules and procedure are strictly followed. We have never
purchased tent for RMB 10,000.
Chinese Red Cross has repeatedly issued statement that we have never
authorized any individual or entity to conduct fundraising on behalf of
Chinese Red Cross National Office.
The misuse the name of Red Cross to raise funds, make profit as well as
spreading false news are disturbing and regarded as criminal acts. I hope
that the public will keep vigilance and help us report these cases to the
related government department.
With these brief remarks, I will now take your questions. Thank you very
much.
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