French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is setting up a new foundation to raise funds for groups that help the homeless, prison inmates, the handicapped and fight illiteracy in France.

The model turned singer's charity, set up under the auspices of the private "Fondation de France" organisation, will support a wide range of projects led by associations in the field of education and culture.

"The goal of the foundation is to raise private funds to support and fund projects. We will work with associations," President Nicolas Sarkozy's wife said, in an interview to be released Saturday.

"We will support projects for the homeless, for prisons, the handicapped. The fight against illiteracy is a struggle that I particularly hold dear," said Bruni-Sarkozy in the interview to La Tribune daily.

Bruni-Sarkozy said she was struck by recent statistics that showed three million adults were illiterate in France.

In December, the glamorous first lady became an ambassador for the Geneva-based Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The 41-year-old also hopes to help poor immigrant youth from the suburbs get into elite schools with a bursary programme, and singled out France's art and fashion schools for attention.

French fashion guru Jean-Paul Gaultier is a member of the new foundation's committee. A website will soon be launched to put forward proposals for special projects and to find private sponsors, Bruni-Sarkozy said.

Source: AFP