The Chinese Red Cross Foundation (CRCF) has launched a 100 million yuan (US$14.6 million) aid project to help rebuild schools in Chengdu, capital of the quake-hit Sichuan Province.

More than 44 million yuan will be forwarded to the southwestern city to cover reconstruction of 33 school sites in the first stage, according to a source with the foundation on Friday.

The foundation had already allocated 8.5 million yuan to Chengdu and more than 47 million yuan was to arrive later, he said.

Wang Rupeng, CRCF secretary general, said CRCF-aided reconstruction was also underway in Mianyang of Sichuan Province, Kangxian County in Gansu Province, and Nanzheng County in Shaanxi Province, which are among places hard hit by the May 12 magnitude-8.0 earthquake.

CRCF is a national public fund-raising organization registered through the Ministry of Civil Affairs as an independent corporation, and is currently under the administration of the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC).

Earlier this month, RCSC launched a 2.5 billion yuan reconstruction aid project in Sichuan to help with the construction of farmers' houses, village health stations, township hospitals, schools and community disaster prevention and relief facilities.

Half of the funding went to Deyang City, a worst-hit area, to build nine new villages, six schools, 13 health centers and 21 supporting facilities for the new villages.

(Xinhua News Agency August 30, 2008)