Two local men are making a trip to Zambia to build a playground at a 30-year-old school that has just one rusty slide for 260 children to play on.
Thomas Duxfield, a landscaper from Napier, and his friend Stephen Willis, a Hastings disability worker, will also design and plant gardens. They
also want to develop some of the school's land into sports fields.
Mr Duxfield said he had been fortunate to enjoy good facilities at school in New Zealand and wanted to help those who were not so privileged.
"Unfortunately, the children of Zambia live a life of hardship and poverty, and this is an opportunity to help them. Stephen and I want to provide an environment that will bring joy, hope and a better quality of life," he said. "We want to create a space where people can socialise and just enjoy their lunch breaks."
The three-month trip to Cedric's School, near Kitwe in the Copperbelt Province, was organised by the New Zealand-based Limapela Foundation, which is developing the school so it can cater for 500 children.
The pair paid for their own flights, collected sponsorship for their accommodation and international donors have given $5000 towards the playground.
While in Zambia, they will also help with teaching and other humanitarian work. "It's going to be very exciting and challenging," Mr Duxfield said.
