DIANE Bagur is on home soil again after a summer break in war-torn Sudan.

The 48-year-old adult literacy teacher, from Charminster, decided to spend a week in the African country, currently suffering the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

She visited schools in and around the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, as part of a charity mission.

Diane said: "I saw an advert for a trip to Sudan in a magazine, turned to my partner Dave and said, 'this is something I really want to do'.

"My parents were unsure about me going but I took a week's leave and set about organising the trip.

"I'm really glad I did because it was an experience I'll never forget."

Around a million people have fled their homes and up to 50,000 people have been killed in the Darfur region of Sudan.

Pro-government Arab militias are accused of ethnic cleansing against the region's black African population.

The Sudanese government denies any involvement in atrocities, saying it is trying to improve security in the region.

International aid agencies are working to help refugees who are sleeping in the open, often with little or no food.

Many schools are in displacement camps, with class sizes of up to 80 youngsters typical and teachers having just one book between more than 100 pupils.

Over a million displaced people are now living in the Khartoum region in temporary shanty towns which Diane visited.

"Some of the camps are quite desperate," she said.

"Many of the youngsters only get one meal a day, at school in the morning. You can see despair in their faces."

Diane, who lives in Westleaze, made the trip with seven other teachers representing Education Action International, a charity aiming to improve literacy and teaching in stricken countries.

The organisation has trained 355 teachers in Sudan.

"We visited 11 schools, for a range of ages. All of these have been set up in the last 10 years in displacement camps by volunteer teachers who felt the children caught up in the conflict should not miss out on their education," she said.

Diane said many camp shelters were simply made with sticks and pieces of cardboard.

"With the sand storms we witnessed and the constant desert sun, you can start to imagine the desperation," she said.

"But despite that, the Sudanese people were very welcoming towards us.

"The teachers often receive no money to work but show an incredible determination.

"There is often 80 children in one class, sometimes with no chairs or tables and often only a simple shelter to protect them from the heat.

"We met one teacher who only had one book for 137 children. That tells its own story."

Diane, who works at Bournemouth and Poole College, said her only previous experience of aid work was visiting a friend in Kenya a few years ago.

She now hopes to hold presentations around the county to raise awareness of the situation in Sudan.

"I met people out there who said the situation in the south of the country, where there are no cameras, is worse than in Darfur.

"I hope to hold talks on my experiences in Sudan and would like to hear from anyone interested in hearing about it," she said.

Anyone interested in hosting a presentation, making a donation, holding a fundraising event or finding out more about Education Action International can call Diane on 01305 262430.