TWO dedicated charity workers are dropping Western life, jobs and comfort to help build a community school in Nigeria.

Gary Foxcroft and his partner Naomi Chapple, both from Lancaster, are upping sticks and heading off to the Niger Delta region in September for a year.

There they will set out to build a farm school and computer resource centre.

The pair set up Stepping Stones Nigeria six months ago to provide children with the necessary levels of skills to become economically self sufficient as they leave school.

The inspiration to try and help kids in the region was kick-started when Gary , pictured right, visited Nigeria for the first time two years ago while working for a masters degree in environment and development from Lancaster University.

He says: "During my time in Nigeria I stayed with a woman called Grace Udoh - headmistress of a local school - who wanted to set up a school on some land she had been left. I thought about it quite a lot and then six months ago decided to get on board and help her out."

The overall aim of the work is to advance the education of people of the Niger Delta about the spiritual, environmental, vocational, and creative well-being of the children and other marginalised groups in their communities.

"We have established Stepping Stones Nigeria with the aim being able to help alleviate some of the dire conditions of people in this area. We will be working in partnership with Grace , who has donated her large plot of land to build the school on," says Gary.

But the first obstacle that the determined local must overcome is that the project needs £10,000 simply to get off the ground.

A series of fundraisers in the Lancaster and Morecambe district have helped Gary and Naomi collect £5,000 so far - but the couple ned to raise the rest of the cash before they jet off in September.

Gary says:"We want to appeal to local businesses and individuals to help us out.

"At the heart of our work is a firm belief that education is the key that will unlock a nation's potential. More than 50 years after education was affirmed by governments as a fundamental human right, 125 million children are still out of school - most of them in Africa - and one in three children is illiterate."

And he goes on: "Each year of schooling gained by a Nigerian child increases his or her chances of escaping from poverty, helps a mother to protect her child from malnutrition and disease, combats other diseases such as HIV, enables young people to empower themselves as to their rights as a citizen, and strengthens the fabric of democracy."

Gary, who has worked for Lancashire County Council as a community support worker, working with people with learning disabilities, handed his notice in last week.

"I'm really excited about the trip and can't wait to see the end result," he adds.

E Anyone interested in donating to the cause should email steppingstonesnigeria@yahoo.co.uk or call 01524-35237.