BEIJING, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- A special charity fund has benefited some 15,749 Chinese AIDS orphans and children in extreme poverty caused by the disease, its sponsor said Sunday.

The "Warm China 12.1" fund, started in 2008, is providing an annual allowance of 1,000 yuan (160 U.S. dollars) for each eligible child, according to a statement from the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), a joint supervisor of the fund.

The charter of the fund provides that the money should be used to guarantee the orphans' access to normal living and learning conditions during nine years of compulsory education.

The project also includes pairing orphans with volunteer families and other community-based activities.

The project has been expanded to over 300 counties of 15 provincial regions across China, said the statement.

In the latest National Human Rights Action Plan, the Chinese government pledged to guarantee the rights to life, education, health care and other rights of AIDS-affected children.

According to the Ministry of Health, 17,740 AIDS-related deaths were reported in the country from January to October, a year-on-year increase of 8.6 percent.

In total, China reported 492,191 cases of HIV/AIDS by the end of October, including 68,802 new cases this year. The first AIDS patient in China was found in 1985.