Asthma foundation to start raising funds

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Asthma Foundation is aiming its latest fund-raising activities at golfers and domestic flight passengers in October, November and December.

Chairperson of the Foundation Mrs. Radinal Moochtar said that the fund-raising is aimed at collecting funds to help finance activities of the foundation's branches in 14 provinces.

"The fund raising is expected to help our branches establish asthmatic clubs and hold seminars on asthma and conduct public presentations on the illness," Mrs. Upin Radinal Moochtar told reporters yesterday.

Officers of the foundation will be present at airports, asking people to make donations in denominations of Rp 500, for which they will be given receipts.

"I hope people, especially of the middle and upper level, will be willing to donate," she said.

She said that the foundation expects to collect about Rp 1.5 billion (US$681,818).

"The foundation has printed about 3.4 million receipts and they will be ready for distribution soon," she said.

The foundation was established in 1986 to help people with asthma, through public presentations on asthma and medical assistance.

Currently it has 14 branches, including in West Java, Lampung, Bali, South Kalimantan and South Sulawesi. (yns)