An inspirational carer has returned from a 10-week trip to Tanzania, where she helped build sanitation facilities for a school and educate youngsters about health.

Tanya Hart, 24, of Burnley Lane, Huncoat set off for the east African republic in October with Raleigh International, a charity which runs projects in poverty-stricken areas.

The care assistant was based in the village of Uguluma, where more than 20 per cent of residents have no toilet facilities and are often forced to resort to open defecation and unhygienic practice which puts the health of the individual, and their wider community, at risk.

Tanya, who is hoping to join the British Army as a nurse later this year, said: “It was really amazing, I never had an experience like it.

“Raleigh did surveys in the village and no one realised what germs where, diarrhoea was rife and a lot of people were getting ill because of poor sanitation. We taught villagers about the concept of germs and taught them how to clean water.”

Tanya added: “We also built sanitation blocks for a primary school, before this they had two holes in the ground.”

Tanya said that a lot of the villagers were keen to learn, as most had never experienced education beyond a primary level.

She added: “Most of the village had never been to secondary education.

“The women were really happy to get any type of learning from us because they get married at 16 and they cannot marry someone if they have a higher a education than the man. It was an inspirational trip and I learnt a lot when I was there.”

For more information about the work Raleigh International do visit raleighinternational.org.