Anger is increasing in China after it was revealed only a fraction of the million yuan ($144,000; £111,000) donated to a severely malnourished student reached her before her death.
People across the country had given money to help Wu Huayan, whose plight emerged after she was taken to hospital with breathing difficulties last autumn.
The student, who weighed little more than 20kg (43lb), had been surviving on pennies a day for five years.
She later explained how she had watched both her father and grandmother die because they did not have enough money for medical care. She was determined not to let the same happen to her, with the media appeal her last chance.
And it appeared to work: the donations flooded in. But it wasn’t enough to save Wu, who died on Monday aged 24.
Those who had been rooting for her were devastated, but there was worse to come. It transpired the money they had given – or at least the vast majority of it – never reached Wy Huayan. Official records seem to suggest just 20,000 yuan ($2,900; £2,225) was paid towards her hospital
bills.
It has left many asking: how on earth did the system let this young woman down – and who exactly is to blame?
The first pictures of Wu Huayan – her 135cm (4ft 5ins) visibly emaciated – were released in October. She and her brother, who is understood to have mental health issues, had been relying on an uncle and aunt for support, but they could only provide 300 yuan ($43.60; £33.45) each
month. After her brother’s medical bills, there was only two yuan a day left for Miss Wu’s food.
Immediately, people began to donate. The money was collected by Charity 9958, a project under the China Charities Aid Foundation for Children (CCAFC), using two different funding platforms. It was meant to help pay for heart surgery.
But it never happened. According to reports, Miss Wu never gained enough weight to undergo the operation. According to official media, she weighed less than 30kg when she died.
The corruption allegations
Within days of her death, a scandal began to emerge. A state-media outlet called The Cover accused 9958 of running “a deadly scam”.
Zheng Hehong, a prominent activist and former member of staff at 9958, came out alleging the charity sought out particularly ill or vulnerable people, and then withheld funds as part of a ploy to keep the proceeds as long as possible.
“They waited until the patient died so they could take the interest income,” she told Phoenix New Media’s Ifeng.com. “This income, by law, can be given as a staff bonus instead of charitable aid.”
But the charity has hit back, saying it was holding onto the money on her family’s request. They said it had not been paid because she had not met the criteria needed to undergo the surgery – and that it had planned to release the funds afterwards.
However, one acquaintance told The Cover that Ms Wu didn’t even know about 400,000 yuan of the money.
