RCSC raises $194m for Lushan quake

BEIJING - The Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) has received nearly 1.19 billion yuan ($194.36 million) in donations for Lushan earthquake victims, according to a statement released by the foundation's headquarters on Monday.

Of the 1.19 billion yuan's worth of money and materials, 386 million has been used in quake relief and transitional settlement while 667 million yuan will be used for rebuilding 254 projects, such as villages, schools, and clinics, the statement said.

Following the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that shook Southwest China's Sichuan province on April 20, leaving at least 196 dead, charities and foundations started raising donations.

The donations raised by the RCSC account for about 40 percent of the total raised by the country's charities for the earthquake, according to the statement, quoting incomplete figures from the China Charity & Donation Information Center.

However, it was reported that the public was hesitant to donate quake-relief money via the RCSC.

Its reputation took a major hit in 2011, when a young woman calling herself Guo Meimei used social media to say she was a manager in an organization under the charity and openly flaunted her wealth and extravagant lifestyle.

The incident and ensuing scandals among its local branches over the past year have triggered public concern about embezzlement and improper management within the charity.

The RCSC, the country's largest official charity body, had promised to be fully transparent about donations raised for the Lushan quake relief amid the lingering crisis of trust.