Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. As many of you know I am off to Ethiopia in March 2012 to help build a school for kids living in poverty. I need to raise £1500 to pay for the building and equipping of 6 new classrooms, the rehabilitation of 6 old classrooms and improvement of sanitation facilities and I would really appreciate all help I can get!

At the moment pupils are taught in dark and collapsing huts which are hugely overcrowded and with your help we will build six new classrooms and latrines as well as providing the furniture. This will be the fourth African school that Turner volunteers have helped build with Plan International - the others are currently up and running in Mali, Rwanda and Malawi.

MORE INFORMATION: Of the children who enrol at primary school only 23% complete it and go on to secondary level so this school improvement programme will encourage children to stay on longer, gain a higher level and better quality of education. Ethiopia is one of the world's poorest nations and this is the second most densely populated area in the country. Those living in poverty continue to be vulnerable to shocks, especially climate related events such as drought and infant mortality stands at 77 deaths per thousand births and under 5 mortality at 123 deaths per thousand. Only 51% have access to safe water and 23% access to sanitation facilities.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

TACK!