Johannesburg — A new fundraising campaign launched by former South African president Nelson Mandela will help AIDS orphans in six African countries by creating "child-friendly schools", the South African Press Association has reported.

The joint initiative by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) aims to help 1,000 schools with every US $1 million raised, by providing renovations and improvements to existing structures, as well as new buildings.

In a message recorded for the launch of the campaign earlier this week, Mandela said: "No child in Africa, and, in fact, anywhere in the world, should be denied education."

Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa and Zimbabwe are expected to benefit from the initiative during the first five years of the programme.