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The Government, on the advice of the Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee (DRFAC), approved a $3.5 million grant to World Vision Hong Kong today (January 14) to provide emergency relief to tsunami victims in Indonesia. It also accepted the advice of the DRFAC for the Hong Kong Red Cross to change the relief receiving country of an earlier approved grant of $3.5 million under the Fund from Sri Lanka to Indonesia.

So far, the Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee has approved six applications from three charity organisations. The total amount of grants made amounts to $21 million.

Two applications from Oxfam Hong Kong and another two from World Vision Hong Kong for funds to cover relief activities in Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka were approved earlier and the two organisations were each granted a total of $7 million.

To ensure that the money granted will be used for the designated purposes, the committee will ask all the three charity organisations to submit evaluation reports and audited accounts on the use of the grant after the relief projects have been completed.

The Disaster Relief Fund was established in December 1993 for emergency disaster relief in places outside Hong Kong. The Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee is responsible for advising the Government on the policy and practices regarding the disbursement of funds for disaster relief, advising on specific amounts to specific recipients, and monitoring the use of grants.

The committee is chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration. Members include the Hon Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, the Hon Andrew Liao Cheung-sing, the Hon Mrs Sophie Leung Lau Yau-fun, the Hon Chan Yuen-han, Mr Irving KOO Yee-yin, Mr Michael Lai Kam-cheung, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury and the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food.

Ends/Friday, January 14, 2005

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