TEACHER Kathryn Adams is swapping Stroud for the west African country of Ghana to teach children and help build a school.

Kathryn, a reception class teacher at St Matthew's Primary School in Stroud, will spend five weeks there.

The 25-year-old, from Brimscombe, leaves on April 3 for the trip organised by Madventurer - an organisation which helps people in Africa and South America improve their quality of life.

Besides teaching she and 11 other volunteers will be building a sanitation block at the school for children and local villagers to use.

Kathryn has had to put some of her own money into the project to get it started but needs to raise £2,500.

This covers her trip and pays for some of the building work.

She is heading for Truskpe Tota - a small rural village in lush forests at the foot of a mountain in eastern Ghana.

The project is run by the community.

"Our job is really to act as a catalyst and provide funding for the project," she said.

"I hope to teach younger children because that is what I do at St Matthew's."

One of her main jobs will not only be to teach the children but also to educate the teachers.

She will be encouraging more interactive modern teaching methods so the children will continue to learn quickly after she leaves.

At St Matthew's, she teaches 24 pupils - in Ghana her minimum class size will be 60 and could be as many as 200.

She is looking for local businesses to sponsor the project. Anyone able to contribute should call Kathryn on 07779646874.