The One Foundation Project, initiated by Chinese kung fu star Jet Li, has allocated more than 3.84 million yuan (about US$561,000) to Taiwan for typhoon relief, the foundation said here Friday.
More than 1 million individuals donated over 1.84 million yuan to Taiwan through the foundation, which calls for each person to donate at least one yuan each month so that individual donations can be transformed into a much greater fund.
The rest of the fund came from corporate donators, the foundation said.
The One Foundation Project would continue to raise money for Taiwan's Typhoon Morakot victims, according to Jet Li, who starred in Kiss of the Dragon in 2001, Hero in 2002 and a number of other kung fu movies.
Morakot ravaged Taiwan in early August, killing nearly 500 people and forcing the evacuation of thousands. It was the worst typhoon to hit Taiwan in nearly 50 years, and caused havoc across the island's central and southern regions.
Most of the typhoon victims have settled down at the island's military bases and veteran retirement homes, or have rented homes with government subsidies, and were receiving proper arrangement, Taiwan authorities said Thursday.
By Wednesday, the island's residents had donated more than 13 billion New Taiwan Dollars (about US$395 million) for typhoon relief.
The island's authorities also on Thursday approved a 120-billion-New-Taiwan-Dollar (about US$3.6 billion) draft budget for reconstruction in typhoon-battered areas on the island in the coming four years.
The draft budget would have to be approved by Taiwan's legislative authorities before coming into force.
(Xinhua News Agency September 4, 2009)
