Carolyn QuekJermyn ChowLim Heng Liang

Snap a photo posing with a beautyqueen or buy a panda-shaped bun –it all will add to the $23 millionraised so far for the twin tragediesthat struck Myanmar and Sichuan,China in the past few weeks.

The final tally will probably bemuch higher.

The $23 million estimate madeby The Sunday Times includes onlywhat the big aid agencies have col-lected, and also sizeable contribu-tions made through other avenues.

Donations in cash and kind arestill rolling in, said aid agencies andthe Chinese Embassy here.

China’s Ambassador ZhangXiaokang said that since the May 13earthquake that hit Sichuan, an end-less stream of people have been offer-ing the embassy help.

More than 23,000 donationstotalling $8.7 million in all havebeen been made so far.

“That’s huge. And still, the mon-ey is coming in,’’ she said as she wel-comed Singapore’s rescue workershome from Sichuan on Thursdaynight.

An embassy official could notgive details on who gave howmuch, but said the $8.7 million col-lection ranks among the highestraised throughout China’s networkof embassies worldwide.

Groups such as Mercy Reliefhave already surpassed their targetsfor both countries.

It said yesterday that about$425,000 had been raised for Chinaso far. It has also stopped collec-tions for Myanmar, with total

funds raised at $560,000, well overthe $300,000 target set for bothcountries.

The speed at which the dona-tions have come in this time roundhas also outpaced other majordonation drives in previous years.

For example, it took fewer than10 days to raise $17.1 million forSichuan alone. In 2003, it took sev-en weeks to raise $10 million forthe Courage Fund, set up forhealth-care workers battling theSars virus.

As in previous donation efforts,aid agencies continue to receiveindividuals who turn up at theircentres with huge donations.

Just last Friday, a man dressed inshorts and a T-shirt handed$300,000 in cash to the Red Cross.The man, who had made an earliercontribution of the same amount,did not want to give his name tostaff there.

The tragedy in China appears tohave opened more wallets than thecyclone devastation in Myanmar.

The Myanmar Embassy hasremained silent on donations it hascollected, even as the Myanmarcommunity here and aid groupssend out appeals for help.

The Sunday Times estimatesthat, so far, $5.8 million has beencollected since the cyclone hit onMay 3.

Another factor which tugged atpurse strings: The Chinese govern-ment’s quick help for victims andits unabashed request for aid.

The New Creation Church hasgiven $100,000 to the ChineseEmbassy here and $50,000 to Myan-mar via international group FeedThe Hungry.

Said Deacon Matthew Kang ofthe difference: “We are able to hearmore about China in the mediaand so are more informed...In ouropinion, the devastation and needsthere are greater.”

carolynq@sph.com.sgjermync@sph.com.sghliangl@sph.com.sg

Actor Qi Yuwu was so distressed bythe earthquake which hit Chinathat he decided to raise money forhis countrymen by selling one ofthe artworks in his collection.

But friends persuaded theGuangzhou native to go bigger andhold an auction instead, with worksdonated by other collectors.

Two days of preparations later,on May 19, 14 art pieces went underthe hammer, raising $80,000. Cashdonations made up the rest of the$100,000 which Mr Qi will give tothe Singapore Red Cross.

In Singapore, members of themainland Chinese and Myanmarcommunities are pulling togetherto do their bit for their homelands.

The Chinese nationals, a muchbigger group with deeper and moreextensive networks in Singaporethan the Myanmar nationals, arebetter organised.

Social groups, business groupsand even Chinese students study-ing here are rallying others to do-nate to the victims of the earth-quake which hit Sichuan, killing55,000.

Among those with fund-raisingpermits are the Tian Fu Club, agroup of Sichuanese expatriateshere. The club has raised $210,000.

The Hua Yuan Association hasraised $30,000.

In the tertiary institutions, agroup of Chinese students joinedChinese website Huasing to organ-ise a donation drive that raised$39,000.

Their younger counterparts,spread across 10 secondary schoolsand junior colleges, have banded to-gether to form Hearts UnshatteredNetwork. A donation drive in theirschools, which started on May 15,has raised $73,000.

Said the project’s initiator,Raffles Junior College student LinHai, who hails from Chengdu: “Chi-na students are not as affluent astheir Singaporean counter-parts...but when it comes to dona-tions, their efforts are very large.”

The goodwill of Myanmar na-tionals here was also palpable afterCyclone Nargis slammed into theirhomeland on May 3.

There has been a flurry of SMSmessages circulating among the100,000-strong community here,carrying appeals for clothes, shoesand medicine to be dropped off atmore than five collection pointsacross the island.

Ms Nay Nay, who marshals thefund-raising efforts at the Polaris Li-brary in Peninsula Plaza, said: “Eventhe Myanmar construction workersspent half their salaries buying newclothes and food for the victims.”

Donations have also reached the100-member Myanmar Club, theRangoon Institute of TechnologyAlumni and the Burmese BuddhistTemple in Toa Payoh.

Cash and in-kind donations to-talled about $190,000 – of whichnearly two-thirds has been spent onrelief aid.

Myanmar Club secretary ZawTun said: “It doesn’t matter how farwe are...As long as our people are introuble and in need, we will dowhatever we can to make a differ-ence in their lives.”

The hat was passed around inmosques, temples and churcheswhen the call was made to pitch into help the victims of Asia’s twintragedies.

So far, the Singapore BuddhistLodge charity has raised the big-gest amount at $4 million, boost-ed by a $2 million donation bybusiness tycoon Oei Hong Leong.

The money raised will be usedto rebuild schools in China’squake-hit Sichuan province, saidthe charity’s president, Mr LeeBock Guan.

“It’s very heartening to know

that Singaporeans will cross allracial and religious lines andboundaries to do good and helpthose in need...It’s the compas-sion of Singaporeans that definesthis country,” he said.

The lodge, the Hindu Endow-ments Board and Jamiyah Singa-pore joined hands to canvass forfunds within their institutions.

The three groups raised$110,000 for cyclone-hit victimsin Myanmar and handed thecheque to the Singapore RedCross yesterday.

A total of $103,435.11 was alsocollected from the 69 mosques

here and via the Islamic ReligiousCouncil of Singapore’s website.The proceeds were for the Myan-mar victims through the Singa-pore Red Cross.

Some churches, such as theMethodist Church of Singaporeand New Creation Church, havedug into their own funds, donat-ing $50,000 and $150,000 respec-tively to disaster efforts.

The Sikh Welfare Council alsoraised about $11,000 for the Chi-na and Myanmar disastersthrough the prayer services heldin the seven Sikh temples acrossthe country on May 19.

Said Mr Hernaikh Singh, acouncil volunteer: “Disasterknows no boundaries and canstrike anyone. For people in Singa-pore to rally together to help thevictims of the two disasters is a re-flection of how compassionateand gracious our society is.”

S’poreans cross religious,racial lines to donate

Money pouring in

Singapore Red Cross: $4million

Mercy Relief: $425,000

Salvation Army*

World Vision Singapore**

Singapore Buddhist Lodge: $4 million

Singapore Red Cross: $4 million

Mercy Relief: $560,000

Salvation Army: $580,000

World Vision Singapore: $402,000

Catholic Church: $260,000

Chinese Embassy: $8.7 millionEmbassy

Total $ raised for twin tragedies: $23 million (Latest available figures)

Aid agencies

Big donationsnot going throughthe aid agencies

Myanmar Embassy: Figure not available

$17.1 millionTotal $5.8 million

*Not conducting donation drive for China because Salvation Army Hong Kong is handling the effort**Not conducting donation drive for China

CHINA MYANMAR

Donations in cash andkind are still pouringin to help those hit inMyanmar and Sichuan

Twin tragedies: S’poreans chip in $23m

China, Myanmar nationalsrally to do their bit here

ST PHOTO: SAMUEL HE

INDIVIDUAL EFFORTMr Alfa Tan, 47, proprietor of Cai Gen Xiang Northern Seafood Tavern in Geylang, collects donations for theearthquake relief efforts in China. Since May 14, he has received a total of $400. Mr Tan will hand over themoney to the Chinese Embassy here.

PHOTO: JOVENA CHAN FOR THE STRAITS TIMES

GROUP EFFORTSix Victoria Junior College students organised a concert on May 17 called Rock On Myanmar, featuring localbands such as The Fire Fight (above), to raise funds for the victims of the cyclone in Myanmar. The students alsoheld a busking event yesterday, raising a total of $10,000 from the two events.

16 homethesundaytimes May 25, 2008