Foundation calls on urban residents to donate

17  January 2013

BEIJING — A Chinese public foundation wants urban people to live on 6.3 yuan ($1) on Poverty Eradication Day to help them understand the country’s poverty issue.

The standard actually comes from China’s current poverty line, which is 2,300 yuan per year, or 6.3 yuan per day, according to a Monday statement from the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation. It added that about 128 million Chinese live under this line.

By experiencing a day on less than 6.3 yuan, urban residents would think about poverty and possibly take actual actions to make a difference, said the statement.

During the campaign, which is expected to last until the end of October, the foundation plans to include extensive media coverage on poverty issues to inform the public of living difficulties for the poor.

The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty has been observed on Oct 17 since 1993.