Comment on "No place for farce in charity" (China Daily, July 19)

I agree with the author of the article that often no strong bridges are found between philanthropists and the needy in China. This unfortunate scenario is more a symptom of a nascent philanthropy sector rather than an inherent fault of philanthropy as a practice.

The author suggests that the government be expanded to cover philanthropy's shortcomings. Instead, I argue that building the capacity of the philanthropy sector in China through enhanced training and education, together with the support of the government, can have an even greater impact.

New private wealth in China has spawned a wave of charity with the ability to provide large sums of money for the needy. This is a tremendous opportunity for philanthropy in China; it would be a pity if the funds such an opportunity could generate were not optimized.

ANDY GERMAK, via e-mail