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 (about 12.3 US 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 31, 2005)