China has launched a nationwide one-yuan donation program
earlier this month to collect money for AIDS victims and plans to
promote the awareness of the disease, organizers said.
Li Chaolin, director of the "121 joint action" Organizing
Committee, said Friday they expect to collect one yuan (12.3 cents)
from each donor across China to help AIDS victims and spread the
knowledge of AIDS prevention and control.
Named after World AIDS Day, which falls on December 1, the "121
joint action" was launched in 2003 by the Chinese Foundation for
Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and AIDS, to collect
funds for China's AIDS prevention and control.
The committee said there are approximately 840,000 HIV-carriers
in China across the country, involving each of the country's 31
provincial areas.
The committee said China has nearly 80,000 children who were
orphaned by the deadly disease and are in need of care and
help.
The funds to be collected will be used to help those children
and spread AIDS prevention knowledge in migrant farmers and
communities vulnerable to the disease, the committee said in a
statement.
(Xinhua News Agency October 29, 2005)