The first Ronald McDonald House on the Chinese mainland will open in 2015.

The new facility will be located near Hunan Children's Hospital in Changsha, capital of Central China's Hunan province.

Changsha was chosen for its available land, said Jessica Lee, the chairwoman of Ronald McDonald House Charities China.

Compared with major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, it is much easier for RMHC China to build the house in a second-tier city.

"It will serve as a 'home away from home' for families of sick children," Lee said. "When a child is receiving treatment at the hospital, family members can enjoy the facilities [and] take free accommodations and meals."

The house will have 25 to 30 bedrooms; laundry and shower facilities; and a kitchen.

"We are still working on the process of the opening, and as it is a charity, we also have to establish a local charity sector," Lee said on Oct 17. The house is due to open in the second half of 2015, with an annual operating cost between 5 to 10 million yuan ($800,000 to $1.6 million).

"We hope the new house could be a model and a catalyst for our charity house projects, and RMHC China [expects to] open five to six more houses in five years," Lee said.

In 2006, McDonald's China and the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation founded Ronald McDonald House Charities China, which is committed to disaster relief.

In China, due to the unbalanced availability of healthcare, many families of sick children travel far from home for medical treatment in large hospitals. The demand for a facility such as a Ronald McDonald House is great.

Ronald McDonald houses in Hong Kong and Taiwan both receive families of sick children from the mainland. The Hong Kong Ronald McDonald houses opened in 1996 - the first in Asia - on land donated for HK$1.

There are 337 Ronald McDonald houses worldwide, with the largest in Chicago. Japan has the most houses in Asia with seven.

Compared with the houses overseas, Lee said the greatest challenge will be finding volunteers.

"Because in China volunteerism just started, we have to train volunteers," she said.

Lee said that when a house opens overseas, many retired people in the community volunteer. "I don't know whether it will happen in China, and we have to get and train more people to volunteer for the house," she said.

Another problem is that there won't be enough space to accommodate families seeking treatment. Some will be turned away.

"Working closely with hospitals is very important as we depend on the hospital to recommend the right family candidates," Lee said.

As in Hong Kong and Taiwan, RMHC China will have a board that evaluates candidates based on their finances and medical situations.

As the largest corporate donor to RMHC, McDonald's is concerned about its image in China after problems with a supplier eroded sales in the country. Lee said the opening of the new house was unrelated to that incident.

RMHC China has conducted fund-raising campaigns in eight Chinese cities. If people run 2.5 kilometers, McDonald's donates 10 yuan to the first mainland Ronald McDonald House.

McDonald's is also offering white-striped socks in its stores for anyone who donates 20 yuan to the fund on Oct 15-26, with a fund-raising goal of 6.4 million yuan for the house.

Lijing2009@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 10/22/2014 page3)