CRICKHOWELL teenager Charlie Walker has started a project to equip children in West Africa with the basic tools they need to help them learn in the classroom.

Charlie, who lives in Llangenny, was shocked to discover many classrooms lack simple items such as pens and pencils to enable them to make notes and draw pictures during lesson time when he visited a deprived school in Tanzania.

Charlie, who attends the sixth form at Monmouth School for Boys, has started collecting packs of pens, pencils, rubbers and other stationery items which he aims to send out to schools in the impoverished Utete-Rufiji region.

The 16-year-old also hopes to receive enough donations to be able to buy other essential supplies for the African schoolchildren.

So committed is Charlie to this cause he has said he will even cover the cost of shipping the supplies over to Africa himself, as well as admin costs, so that “100% of donations” go to the children.

He said: “If we want to benefit the lives of African children for good, we need to first focus on providing them with a substantial education. To ensure that 100% of donations go towards helping Tanzanians, I am covering all shipping and administration costs from my own pocket.”

Charlie visited Utete-Rufiji in October with his family and was given a tour of Mwaseni Primary School. The classrooms were bare and resources were lacking and it was clear to Charlie that many local families were living below the poverty line.

“Primary education is free in Tanzania, although extras such as equipment and uniforms are not provided,” said Charlie. “Children are left without sufficient resources to help them learn, and so many can easily fall behind.

“Education is a key to bringing the next generation of Tanzanians out of poverty for good and into healthier and more fulfilling lives.

“But, at the moment, the teachers are struggling to provide students, some of whom are orphans, with essential supplies.”

The teenager says he would welcome donations to his JustGiving page which he will then spend on the pens and pencils. He added: “The generous donations will go a long way to helping change the lives of many young Africans for years to come.

“I am hoping to send the supplies to Utete-Rufiji as soon as possible, and have made contact with teachers there who will distribute them accordingly.

“This project is not only about short-term change, it’s about having a long-lasting, positive impact on Africa.”

To make a donation to Charlie’s African Pen Project, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/african-pen-project.