More than 410 million yuan (about 60 million U.S. dollars) will be invested by the Hope Project in quake zones in southwest China's Sichuan Province, according to the China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF).

Some 254 primary schools in 33 counties will be built with the money, said Tu Meng, deputy general secretary of CYDF. A construction timeline had not been decided yet, Tu said.

The foundation will also provide computer rooms, libraries, movies, sports grounds, teacher training and scholarships.

The money will be used in eight quake affected areas in Sichuan, including Chengdu, Mianyang, Deyang and Aba Autonomous Prefecture of Tibetan and Qiang nationalities.

Donations helped raise the 410 million yuan, said Tu.

Hope Project, started in 1989, is a Chinese public service project organized by CYDF and the Communist Youth League (CYL). Its goal is to help children in poverty-stricken areas to go to school.

(Xinhua News Agency January 10, 2009)