A TEACHER is heading to South Africa in a bid to use education to change lives.

Madeleine Hursthouse will spend 12 weeks working with young people with youth-led development charity RestLess Development.

Weymouth resident Madeleine, aged 22, will educate youngsters on employment and health.

She said: “I’m really excited to get stuck in and explore another culture. One of the main reasons I’m doing this is that I’ve had an opportunity to go to Kenya and Romania and have worked on projects that have improved standards out there.

“One of the reasons I became a teacher was to be able to do things like this.”

Former Wey Valley schoolgirl Madeleine will fly to Johannesburg on May 17 with 19 volunteers and then travel to the impoverished Kwelerha District.

The volunteers have undergone training for the education programme they will be teaching.

Madeleine is funding her airfare herself and all the money she raised so far will be channelled straight into the project.

She said: “I have already fundraised around £500 through car boot sales and cake sales.

“I have been selling my own and my family and friends’ belongings at Bowleaze car boot sale every Monday and at Dorchester market.

“All money raised will go directly to RestLess Development to support the programme.”

Weymouth Harbourside Rotary Club has donated £150 to Madeleine’s project from club funds and a quiz and curry night fundraiser.

Lodmoor resident Madeleine, who has worked as a secondary drama and English teacher in Worcester, will stay with host families while in South Africa.

Through working with RestLess Development, Madeleine said she had been taught just how far funds can go to improve people’s prospects in the Kwelerha District.

She said: “£10 can provide a platform for a young person to speak out about HIV and Aids and £50 allows RestLess Development to provide essential health education to five young people on a weekly basis for a whole year.

“I decided to volunteer with the International Citizen Service and have a break from my teaching career so I can work on real development projects that will make a genuine difference to the lives of some of the world’s poorest people.

“We have some difficult topics to teach. Sexual health is taught through teaching people to abstain from sex and we will be going in and talking about contraception.

“We will also be trying to teach CV skills in class and IT skills.

“I also hope to develop new skills which will help in building my own future and career.”

Madeleine will be continuing her fundraising when she returns to Weymouth in the summer.

To offer donations, email her at mhursthouse@hotmail.co.uk.