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Bolivian campaign raises 1.4 mln USD for quake-hit Chile, Haiti
LA PAZ, Mar 07, 2010 (Xinhua via COMTEX) --
A Bolivian fundraising telethon has
collected 1.4 million U.S. dollars for quake-hit Chile and Haiti
and the organizers have decided to extend the campaign to raise
more money, Bolivian Minister of the Presidency Oscar Coca said on
Sunday.
The campaign "Chile and Haiti Need You" began on Tuesday and it
was originally set to end on Saturday. Coca said the donations
stood at about 1.4 million dollars as of Saturday.
Warm response by the public prompted the authorities to extend
the fundraising for one more week, and continue to accept
donations till next Saturday, said Coca.
The donations came from all parts of the country, including
senior government officials headed by President Evo Morales and
Vice President Alvaro Garcia.
A few days ago both Morales and Garcia announced the decision
to donate half of their one-month salaries for the campaign.
During his visit to Julio Borelli coliseum, the headquarters of
the telethon, Morales urged the Bolivian people to show solidarity
with the countries affected by the earthquakes.
The campaign also collected money with cellphone text messages
to the state-run Empresa Nacional de Telecomunicaciones, or
National Company of Telecommunications.
Coca said they received phone calls from different regions of
the country requesting the campaign to be extended in order to
collect more money.
"We estimate that we will reach at least 1.5 million dollars,
an amount that surpass our first goal," Coca said.
Over the past week, Bolivia has also sent 120 tons of bottled
water to Chile to aid the victims of the 8.8-magnitude earthquake
that shook the South American country on Feb. 27.
In January, Garcia took aid to Haiti, including 50 tons of
rice, blood and plasma, to aid the victims of a 7.3-magnitude
earthquake that shook the Caribbean country on Jan. 12.
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