Helen's African adventure

Helen Coxhead, of Reginald Road, leaves this weekend to work for the charity African Impact.

The group leads volunteer projects throughout the continent.

In this case, Helen will be working in townships just outside Cape Town on a teaching and medical community project, helping families affected by HIV/AIDS, poverty and unemployment.

She returned in the Autumn from a two month stint doing volunteer work in the country but will now take up a full-time unpaid position with African Impact to coordinate the volunteer force.

Helen, 31, said: "I came back having loved it. I wanted to make a difference I suppose and work with children, so I looked on the internet, found out about it and did it.

"This time I will hopefully be going for two years. We are working with children who are HIV/AIDS orphans or whose parents have to work and they are looked after by brothers and sisters. We are appealing for people who are training as doctors and nurses who can teach and also teaching teachers there how to use computers and other skills.

"It is really rewarding, you get unconditional love from the children and that is all they want really - someone to show them love.

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You don't have to have a specific skill though, you can just offer what skills you have and just being there can make a difference."

For more information visit www.africanimpact.com