The Sichuan Pillar Industry, a charity program aimed at helping promising but poor college students in Southwest China's Sichuan province, has raised 250 million yuan and helped 60,000 students in need since it was launched a decade ago.

According to Zhong Mian, vice-governor of Sichuan, the government-backed project has been implemented in 20 cities and autonomous prefectures in his province.

In addition to helping needy college students, the project has sent 117 excellent but poor junior high school graduates to study in a school in Guangdong free of charge.

It has also rebuilt six schools damaged in the Wenchuan earthquake in May 2008 and old revolutionary bases in Sichuan, said Zou Tao, an official in charge of the project.

He said that the project would support 200,000 people in the next decade.