China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) Tuesday handed over US$110,000 worth of medical equipment to Sudan's Al Birr and Al-Tawasul Organization (BTO).

The CFPA donation, including 12 sets of portable ultrasound diagnostic scanners, infant incubators, stainless-steel sterilizer and 500 pieces of solar and hand-winding electric charged torch- radios, was handed over to the BTO at a ceremony held at the Chinese embassy on Tuesday.

The ceremony was organized by the Chinese embassy in cooperation with Sudanese Ministry of Health and Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.

CFPA Vice Secretary General Yang Qinghai, addressing the ceremony, said the first batch of the equipment had arrived in Sudan in February and would be distributed among 12 hospitals for women and children through the BTO.

"The CFPA will continue to strengthen the exchange and cooperation with the BTO and make more contribution in hospital- building and community development," he said.

Chinese ambassador to Sudan Li Chengwen, for his part, said both CFPA and BTO were important NGOs devoted to humanitarian and charity work.

"This ceremony paves the way for NGO cooperation between China and Sudan, which will certainly deepen the exchanges and cooperation between the two peoples," he said.

Sudanese Minister of Health Tabitha Boutros Shukaya and Sudanese Commissioner General for Humanitarian Aid Hassabo Mohamed Abdul-Rahman highly appreciated the active and effective cooperation between CFPA and BTO, stressing that, as an important aspect of Sudan-China relations, the friendly exchanges and cooperation between NGOs would enhance the traditional friendship between the two peoples.

Fatima al-Amin, wife of Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha and BTO president, affirmed in the ceremony the importance of the equipment donated by CFPA, saying that the equipment will help people in remote areas that run short of necessary health equipment.

(Xinhua News Agency March 10, 2010)