Direct donations risky

As a generous public steps up to donate funds directly to the victims in two high-profile tragedies, experts are warning that money given to individuals lacks accountability.

The stories of Liao Dan, a Beijing man who defrauded a hospital to cover his wife's medical fees, and Du Chuanwang, a teenager from East China's Shandong province, who was horrifically injured in a prank, have struck a chord with the public, which has donated large sums of cash to both, including directly into the bank account of the injured teenager's father.

Deng Guosheng, a professor specializing in philanthropic studies at the School of Public Policy and Management with the Beijing-based Tsinghua University, said direct donations lack supervision and in many cases donors' rights cannot be fully protected.

"Person-to-person donation is not charity but a behavior of giving, and the current laws in China do not spell out how the recipient should spend the money or when fundraising should be closed up," said Deng.

He said individuals were not legally responsible for making public the details of the funds they collected.

Wang Zhenyao, director of the One Foundation Philanthropy Research Institute at Beijing Normal University, agreed.

"The intervention of a professional charity is very important, as the charity organization can check whether the story is true, and once it decides to raise money for those in need, it starts to take responsibilities and is under the supervision of the government and the public," Wang said.

Liao, who is accused of cheating thousands of yuan in medical fees from Beijing Hospital to save his sick wife, handed over 172,000 yuan ($27,300) to the capital's Dongcheng District People's Court on Monday morning.

The 41-year-old allegedly swindled blood dialysis treatment fees by copying the hospital's seal and using it to make false receipts between 2007 and 2011, according to the district's prosecuting authority.

At last Wednesday's trial, a judge said Liao may receive a lighter sentence if he can repay the money, a gesture he has been able to make thanks to donations.

Sun Ying, a publicity officer at the court, confirmed Liao had returned the money, but said a verdict had not yet reached and any sentence will depend on the judge.

The 172,000 yuan Liao paid was donated by Chen Lihao, a member of Guangdong province's Zhuhai Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, who read Liao's story on Sina Weibo, a popular micro-blogging service.

While Liao was busy raising funds to pay back the money he defrauded, two micro-bloggers initiated an online donation campaign to help his wife.

The campaign, which is supported by China Social Assistance Foundation, had collected more than 420,000 yuan by 4:30 pm on Monday. The target is 500,000 yuan.

According to the campaign, all donations will be used for the blood dialysis treatment of Liao's wife.

Meanwhile, the story of 13-year-old Du Chuanwang has also grabbed the public's attention and money.

Du was seriously injured when two apprentices at an auto repair shop allegedly assaulted him with an air pump. Du was initially treated in a local hospital, but thanks to the help of a charity, was transferred to Bayi Children's Hospital in Beijing.

He is now in a stable condition but is still battling infections caused by dying tissue developing on his face and nose.

Angel Mom, a Beijing-based NGO focused on helping abandoned children and children with severe diseases, contacted Du's family after its staff members read a post about the boy's tragic experience on Sina Weibo, said Qiao Yu, who heads the medical aid department of the organization.

Angel Mom organized Du's transfer to Beijing on Thursday, and had raised about 660,000 yuan from donors nationwide as of Monday. As a charity affiliated with the China Charities Aid Foundation for Children, a public foundation in Beijing, Angel Mom is able to raise donations for Du via the foundation.

"We tried to close up the fundraising twice when the funds reached 100,000 yuan and 140,000 yuan respectively, but we still see more donations coming now," said Qiao.

Du's medical treatment has so far cost about 15,800 yuan in Beijing but the hospital has not revealed what the total cost will be, said Qiao.

If the donated money exceeds the sum needed for Du's medical fees, the organization will seek the opinions from donors to decide whether the rest can be given to the boy's family or used by the organization to help other children in need, he said.

Du Shehou, the boy's widowed father, said his son may need to spend half a year in hospital before he recovers.

With an annual income of only 5,000 yuan, the farmer made the details of his personal bank account public to receive donations after his son's accident.

"We have received donations of about 300,000 yuan in that personal account, which has been taken care of by my cousin, and I plan to use the money for my son's rehabilitation," Du Shehou said.

Contact the writers at hedan@chinadaily.com.cn and

caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn