A WOMAN has inspired schoolchildren to help pupils in East Africa who live in mud huts and have to sit on the classroom floor because there are not enough chairs.

Following talks and slideshows by 23-year-old Natalie Lord -- a former school teacher in Africa -- Chorley New Road Primary School and St Joseph's RC High School, Horwich, have raised £3,000 for Kishumumdu High School, in the Tanzanian town of Moshi.

Later this year Natalie, who is originally from Blackrod, will travel to the school in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro to deliver the funds.

Natalie said: "I went to East Africa during my gap year three years ago. After I returned, I visited schools to talk them about my experience in order to raise awareness. Because of this personal link, two schools have been raising funds for me to take back to Tanzania when I return in either August or September."

Through Natalie's talks and by watching a video she has made, the youngsters have had a glimpse of what life is like for children at Kishumumdu High School where Natalie taught English, biology and art.

The school building is made of breeze blocks and has no proper windows and there are not enough seats for the children.

School dinners consist of maize and beans and many people walk for three hours to get to work each day. In Moshi, homes are often little more than mud huts, toilets are holes in the ground and all water must be boiled before it can be drunk.

Despite all the hardships, Natalie said she is looking forward to returning: "It's like my second home and it's surprising how quickly you adjust when you get there.

"The people are not starving there, but it is like stepping back in time."

The last time Natalie went to Tanzania her trip was arranged by the organisation World Challenge and she learned to speak Swahili.

Since then she has gained a degree in history and sociology at Huddersfield and has completed a year's teacher training course at Leeds.

Natalie has a website at www.rafikimoshi.co.uk HERE