Year-end charity month begins in Shanghai on Saturday

The traditional year-end charity month in Shanghai will start on Saturday, with 356 charitable activities planned to help the needy.

"Greatest Love under the Blue Sky," in its 30th version, will last 43 days with a warm flow of love and charitable endeavor.

During the period, a micro-film festival will be staged and a slew of programs caring for the city's elderly citizens are also on the agenda, according to the Shanghai Charity Foundation.

The activities will include:

• Voluntary services for seniors;
• Free examinations and surgeries for eye health;
• Caring for those with cognitive disorder and physical disabilities;
• Distribution of labazhou, the rice porridge eaten during the Laba Festival (the eight day of the 12th lunar month);
• Medical treatments and bathing programs for elderly residents with financial difficulties.

New clothing and desks will be delivered to child welfare institutes in the city of Hulun Buir in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and Kashgar Prefecture of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and psychologically friendly campus construction and relief programs for children with severe diseases are also planned.

There will also be charity bazaars, New Year concerts and auctions.

Between January 11 and 20, donations will be collected across the city's streets as an annual tradition of the month, bringing the event to its climax.