In November of this year, 16 volunteers from around the UK will travel to the Tsusalushaka region of South Africa to help build a creche and drop-in centre for vulnerable children.

In that part of South Africa, 57% of children under the age of 18 have experienced some form of violence - mostly sexual - in the last 12 months. Parents work all day, but the children only attend nursery and pre-school until lunchtime, leaving them wandering the streets and vulnerable to horrific abuse in the afternoons. Incredibly, this abuse usually comes from someone they know. The creche and drop-in centre we are helping to build will provide somewhere safe for the children to go until their parents can collect them. The children will also receive a free hot meal every day which is usually the only one they will have.

The project is co-ordinated by international charity World Vision, who have already built 42 schools, 24 creches, and 24 drop-in centres in the Tsusalushaka province. They work closely with the local people as well as overseas volunteers to ensure the projects they fund are of lasting value to the African communities.