Young charity boss under the spotlight
By Dong Zhen |
August 19, 2011, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A BILLIONAIRE'S daughter who runs a charity helping children in Africa has come under the spotlight as the Chinese public becomes increasingly suspicious of such projects.
Lu Xingyu, aged 24, is executive chairman and secretary-general of the China-Africa Hope Project.
She is also daughter of the chairman of a commercial firm, the World Eminent Chinese Business Association, which initiated and supports the project.
The charity hopes to raise 2 billion yuan (US$313 million) to build 1,000 schools in poor parts of Africa over the next 10 years, according to Xinhua news agency.
But web users have asked why the public should fund African schools when this week it was reported 30,000 children in Beijing may drop out of education as their unlicensed schools are to close.
One web user asked: "Why should Chinese business tycoons care to donate so much to Africa while millions of children at home are in desperate need of basic education?"
Questions are also being asked about the charity's commercial links and the 10 percent "administrative fee" it deducts from donations.
Fought back
This comes weeks after a young woman named Guo Meimei gained notoriety by claiming online to be a Red Cross manager and flaunting her lavish lifestyle.
The Red Cross denied any link but its image was badly damaged.
Now some web users have taken to calling Lu Xingyu "Lu Meimei."
But Lu has fought back. In an interview with Qianjiang Evening News she said: "Love should be borderless. Helping African children is also our obligation."
On her Weibo microblog she said: "You do charity work but end up being accused."
Doubts have also been raised about the 10 percent fee and the fact that the China-Africa Hope Project has a commercial backer - World Eminent Chinese Business Association.
Lu said her company handles none of the money and the 10 percent administrative fee goes to its partner in the project, Non-governmental organization China Youth Development Foundation.
CYDF confirmed this and said it complies with Chinese law to keep that percentage of fund to pay for operational expenses, such as travel bills for its workers in Africa, in order to advance the project.
CYDF manages the fund money to build schools in Africa while the company work on lobbying for donations.
Lu also has her allies on the Internet. Some web users urged the public to distinguish her project from the Guo Meimei case.
Lu Xingyu, aged 24, is executive chairman and secretary-general of the China-Africa Hope Project.
She is also daughter of the chairman of a commercial firm, the World Eminent Chinese Business Association, which initiated and supports the project.
The charity hopes to raise 2 billion yuan (US$313 million) to build 1,000 schools in poor parts of Africa over the next 10 years, according to Xinhua news agency.
But web users have asked why the public should fund African schools when this week it was reported 30,000 children in Beijing may drop out of education as their unlicensed schools are to close.
One web user asked: "Why should Chinese business tycoons care to donate so much to Africa while millions of children at home are in desperate need of basic education?"
Questions are also being asked about the charity's commercial links and the 10 percent "administrative fee" it deducts from donations.
Fought back
This comes weeks after a young woman named Guo Meimei gained notoriety by claiming online to be a Red Cross manager and flaunting her lavish lifestyle.
The Red Cross denied any link but its image was badly damaged.
Now some web users have taken to calling Lu Xingyu "Lu Meimei."
But Lu has fought back. In an interview with Qianjiang Evening News she said: "Love should be borderless. Helping African children is also our obligation."
On her Weibo microblog she said: "You do charity work but end up being accused."
Doubts have also been raised about the 10 percent fee and the fact that the China-Africa Hope Project has a commercial backer - World Eminent Chinese Business Association.
Lu said her company handles none of the money and the 10 percent administrative fee goes to its partner in the project, Non-governmental organization China Youth Development Foundation.
CYDF confirmed this and said it complies with Chinese law to keep that percentage of fund to pay for operational expenses, such as travel bills for its workers in Africa, in order to advance the project.
CYDF manages the fund money to build schools in Africa while the company work on lobbying for donations.
Lu also has her allies on the Internet. Some web users urged the public to distinguish her project from the Guo Meimei case.
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