Wallasey student raises £3,000 to help school in Ghana

Sep 17 2008 by Carrie Catterall, Birkenhead News

martin

A WALLASEY student raised more than £3,000 to build steps and toilets for an African school.

Martin Billington, 21, first visited Nazareth School, Ghana, when he finished his A Levels at Mosslands School, Wallasey, three years ago.

He took a voluntary teaching position for six months in the family run boarding school in a small town called Takoradi.

Martin said: “During my stay I was made extremely welcome by students, teachers and staff who, despite having very little, were more than happy to share everything with me.”

Despite this, he soon became concerned as he saw up to 400 students aged 10 to 18 taking turns to descend and climb a slippery hill over 10m high to access water day and night.

Martin decided to use money he had raised as a Cub leader with the 28th Wallasey Scout group to employ local builders and buy materials to build a 30-metre, three level concrete staircase.

After his trip, the volunteer kept in touch with his African friends and started a quantity surveying degree at Liverpool John Moores University - after his second year he went back to Nazareth School for two months.

This time he planned to replace the pit toilets which were surrounded by flies and risked serious disease to staff and pupils.

He completed a 112km, four-day hike on the Cumbrian Way and raised more than £2,000 to fund the building of six boys’ and six girls’ flushing toilets with hand basins, a water tank and a big well to source water.

Martin’s mother Jan said: “My son has made a vast difference in Ghana. He decided to go of his own accord and initiated all the fundraising and building work in the school.

“We are really proud of him. As a family, we would like to thank everyone who helped Martin raise the money to help make a difference in Ghana.”