CHARITY fundraiser Sally Eastcott has made it her mission to raise vital funds needed to help ease the suffering of vulnerable children in Ghana.

The 22-year-old from Swanage volunteered to help raise cash for international development charity Afrikids for two years while studying at the London School of Economics.

She has raised more than £100,000 for the grass roots charity, which runs vital programmes for children in Ghana, where 88 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line, and she has now been appointed the charity's fundraiser for overseas projects.

"The money I have raised has enabled Afrikids to take on more staff in Ghana and has funded a livestock farm that will create work for street children and give our children's street home an income to help it become self-sufficient," she explained.

"It's been hard work, but when I see the smiles on the children's faces it makes it all worthwhile."

Director of Afrikids, Georgie Cohen told how Miss Eastcott helped raise 50,000 dollars to pay for the livestock farm after submitting a bid to a large oil company, and has organised numerous fundraising events to buy uniforms and secure school scholarships for children from impoverished families.

"Her work was so impressive we were delighted to be able to take her on," she said.

"She works for a very low salary, not a typical graduate salary at all," she added.

"She is going out to Ghana later this month and getting more and more involved with projects on the ground, not just raising money in the UK."

For more information about Afrikids telephone 020 7392 8962 or go to www.afrikids.org

First published: October 12