A BLACKBURN charity worker who visited civil war-hit Sierra Leone is appealing for local schools to help the country's children get an education.

Christine Bailey, 45, of Andrew Close, Mill Hill, travelled to the West African country for ten days to help carry out building work at schools, clinics, and a home for street children.

The mum-of-two, who works as a full-time carer for her daughter, Samantha, volunteered for the trip after seeing a leaflet advertising the work of the Christian charity Mission Direct.

While there, she took part in tough work, including making bricks.

Now Christine, known as Kissy, is appealing for local schools to help her sponsor children.

An education in Sierra Leone can cost £85 for a year a large amount for the poor nation.

She said: "Just before Christmas I had a letter from Mission Direct asking if I had ever thought of working voluntarily overseas.

"I have been wanting to do something for about seven years, since I saw a documentary about the street children in Brazil.

"I vowed that when I had the opportunity I wanted to do this. When I got the letter, I thought it was meant to be.

"I had to raise £1,295 to go, and I didn't have a penny. Then a week after, I had half of it thanks to donations. From there, I just went round the local shops in Mill Hill."

Sierra Leone is slowly recovering from a civil war which took place from 1991 to 2002 and caused tens of thousands of deaths. UN troops have now withdrawn, leaving the country in the hands of its government, and much of the population is living in difficult circumstances.

Christine, who has two daughters and two grandchildren, raised the money necessary to go abroad, including a six-hour flight, thanks to the generosity of local businesses including the Fielden's Arms, Feniscowles, Mill Hill Taxis, and St Bede's School.

She also took out school and medical supplies, to hand over to the needy organisations in Sierra Leone.

Now she is to approach schools in Blackburn offering to visit and give talks about the conditions she found, and appeal for help to send the children she met, and others like them, to school.

She said: "Everywhere is just poverty and squalor, but everywhere we went they welcomed us.

"Every school we went to was absolutely amazing. We went out to help in whatever way we could, and to give our love. Yet everywhere we got back more than we gave them. They're just beautiful, loving people.

"Children here just go to school but these children have to work to find the money to go to school.

"I just want the schools in Blackburn to get involved and to be able to raise just £85 each school and that will send a child to school for a year."