After China Earthquake, Donations Skew to Private Groups

A devastating earthquake Saturday in China’s Sichuan Province carries echoes of a 2008 quake in the same region—except in relief donations, The New York Times reports. While money flowed to the state-run Red Cross Society of China after the earlier catastrophe, official groups now have a reputation for corruption, and many relief efforts are looking to funnel their aid through private charity groups.

As of Sunday, the Red Cross reported donations of more than $10-million, while one private group, Sina Microcharities, reported collections of more than $13-million. Saturday’s quake, which registered a preliminary magnitude of 7, reportedly has killed at least 188 people and injured nearly 12,000.

China’s Red Cross got a public black eye two years ago, when a young woman, who blogged that she was its commercial general manager, posted online photos of herself alongside luxury cars and with high-fashion handbags.

“Compared to the opaque system that most state-supported charity organizations have, nongovernmental organizations and the newly emerged so-called microcharities follow a more transparent system,” said Deng Guosheng, director of the NGO Research Center at Tsinghua University in Beijing.