A Singapore charity has taken fund-raising to the virtual world, The Straits Times reported.

Instead of selling flags or lucky draw coupons potential donors now visit the giant virtual universe Second Life. They enter a special zone filled with candy castle, lollipop trees and chocolate rivers.

Each of these virtual goodies come with an option to buy them, and all it takes is a click for the cost of the items to be debited from their virtual accounts. At the close of the donation drive on Sept 21, the virtual funds, collected in Second Life's currency Linden dollars, will be converted to real Singapore dollars.

The beneficiary for this donation drive is the National University Hospital's Blood and Marrow Transplant 4 Kids Programme, the Straits Times reported. The programme provides aid to children with blood or genetic disorders such as leukaemia.

The programme's pioneering fun-raising drive will be launched on Saturday.

Second Life is a virtual world where online users can live, work and play in an environment that mimics real life.

Represented by an avatar not unlike the virtual human characters in The Sims, users can interact with others online, create items, construct buildings and even start a business.

The virtual world has a thriving economy, with many real-world companies setting up shop there. Virtual credit card company First Meta and other virtual banks provide the financial services that such an economy needs.

Users or Second Life 'residents' interested in making a donation to NUH's Blood and Marrow Transplant 4 Kids Programme need to first search for Sim Island and visit the spot called 'Youth for Causes Fund Raising', according to The Straits Times.

There, they will find the zone of exchanged forest and fairies, with the items for sale. Items cost between 100 and 1,000 Linden dollars, at the current conversion rate of about 1,000 Linden dollars to US$4, or S$5.50.

Items can be paid for in Linden dollars and charged to done's First Meta credit card, the English daily said.

This is not the first time that a donation drive is being held online. Similar virtual fund-raisers have already been attempted by some overseas groups, such as the American Cancer Society and American IT developer Simuality.