Pneumoconiosis foundation gets 200m yuan donation

The Love Save Pneumoconiosis Foundation of the China Social Assistance Foundation on Wednesday received a 200 million yuan ($31.84 million) donation from the Beijing branch of Sunshine Insurance Group, marking the first time the foundation gets a donation from the insurance industry.

Pneumoconiosis, an occupational lung disease, is brought on by the inhalation of dust, often in mines.

The foundation was set up by Wang Keqin, a well-known Chinese journalist, in June 2011, together with the China Social Assistance Foundation. It aims to help pneumoconiosis patients, many of them migrant workers, who are too poor to afford expensive treatments.

So far, the foundation has helped more 600 patients and their families, through providing treatment and educational support for children.

The foundation has 1,400 volunteers who travel to remote areas across China to help patients and their families. Most of them are part-time volunteers who come from all walks of life, from journalists to college students.