The Confucius Institute at the U will donate $3,000 to help relief efforts in the Sichuan province of China, where the U’s sister school, Sichuan University, is located.
Fusheng Wu, director of the Confucius Institute, said $1,000 will be donated directly to Sichuan University to aid with repair efforts. The other $2,000 will be donated to the Chinese Association of Science and Technology in Utah to help with its overall donation to the Chinese Red Cross. The association, alongside other Chinese-based organizations such as the Chinese Students and Scholars at the U, raised a total of $51,337 on Friday for the Red Cross.
The earthquake’s confirmed death toll has risen to more than 40,000, with at least 10,000 more deaths expected. Officials said that more than 32,000 people are missing. The State Council, China’s Cabinet, said 80 percent of the bodies found in Sichuan province had been either cremated or buried after the 7.9 magnitude earthquake.
Vice Minister for Civil Affairs Jiang Li said 5 million people were homeless and that the government is setting up temporary housing for victims unable to find shelter with relatives. Nearly 280,000 tents had been shipped to the area and 700,000 more ordered with factories ramping up to meet demand, he said.
In an e-mail, Guan Ping, director of the international exchange division wrote, “Our university also suffered some minor damages from this disaster. We have been taking all kinds of measures and mobilizing support to restore the damages in spite of the severity of the situation. Many students and staff have been involved in the relief efforts.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
U sister school in China hit by earthquake
May 21, 2008