A FORMER Penglais School pupil is raising money for charity as she flew out to help tackle poverty in west Africa this week.

A-level student Lily Sedgwick, 18, travelled to the small fishing village of Kokrobite in Ghana on Tuesday, where she will spend 21 days teaching, volunteering in orphanages, and assisting with building projects.

And Lily, from Capel Dewi, is asking for your help to raise enough money to help fund the projects she will be working on.

“I will be working within the community helping to fight poverty by reaching out to the poorest and most vulnerable people,” said Lily.

“Schools in Africa are often understaffed and poorly resourced, and my volunteer work will help to improve this situation by helping teach mathematics, English and art in a local primary school.

“I will also be volunteering in an orphanage to make a positive impact on the lives of numerous orphaned children in Africa.

“Within many areas of Ghana, thousands of families live in inadequate accommodation and children go to school in crumbling buildings, so part of my volunteer work will involve a small building project helping construct quality homes and classrooms for children and their families.”

Lily will be volunteering through Volunteer to Change, an Aberystwyth-based non-governmental organisation with links to Ghana.

Asked why she was taking the trip, which will be her first time travelling alone, Lily said: “It gives me the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than myself. Volunteering abroad in Africa will allow me to travel with a purpose."

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