IN BRIEF (Page 18)

Small gifts can bring big hope

Small donations of up to one yuan ($14 cents) per customer at fast food restaurants in China, such as KFC and Pizza Hut, have formed a huge fund for charity of 150 million yuan since the program was launched in 2008. The organizer, catering group Yum China, said in July the fund was used to provide kitchen equipment including electric cookers and freezers-as well as supplying more than 30 million nutritious dinners for about 400,000 pupils from poor areas in eight provinces of China. During the company's visit to one of the rural schools, it donated about 300 children's books to local students.

Hotline hopes to prevent injuries

A new emergency prevention hotline was opened in July. Citizens can call the number if they find circumstances where people may get injured such as a manhole or well without a cover. Staff will then come to solve the problem. As initiated by Jiangkun Arts Public Welfare Foundation, Shenzhen Billions Finance Service Co Ltd and other organizations, the project also includes donation of 50,000 comic books about prevention of accidents to kids of migrant workers and left-behind children.

Fund to pay for medical bills

Bread-earners aged between 20 to 60 from poor Chinese families will be given free medical insurance. The money has been donated by the public to online charitable platforms set up by Alibaba Group and Ant Financial Services Group. Duan Yingbi, president of China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, said at the launching ceremony in July that the project involved fields which traditional medical insurance didn't cover. This would help prevent poverty caused by illness.

Anta cash to train gym teachers

China's sportswear company Anta and Shanghai-based Adream Foundation announced in July plans to give more than 100 million yuan ($14.7 million) annually in the next five years to train countryside gym teachers. The money will also be used to buy sports equipment, as well as to develop curriculums to improve physical education of teenagers in poor regions of China. About 500 Anta centers will be rolled out.

War documentary for universities

A documentary and album of painting which told the history of China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937-45) was donated in July to more than four domestic universities and museums. These included Communication University of China and the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution. Zhu Chengshan, former president of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, said the documentary contains many first-hand historical materials collected from the public, which was a very good educational text for young people to know the history.

China Daily