CITIZEN readers have made a musical donation to help a poverty stricken school in South America.

Late last year, expatriate charity worker Joanne Singleton de Carranza contacted The Citizen in an appeal for musical instruments.

She urgently needed a set of recorders to help give struggling Guatemalan school children music lessons and loyal readers rallied round to help -- to the tune of dozens of the instruments.

Now, in a letter to The Citizen, Joanne has expressed her thanks to people who donated the recorders and helped make dozens of children's dreams come true.

Joanne said: "Having so little opportunities to learn musical instruments the kids absolutely adore learning to play the recorder and proudly go about the village knocking out popular Guatemalan tunes. My thanks go to all those who kindly donated recorders."

Joanne moved to the village of El Naranjo, in a rainforest 20km from the Mexican border, around six years ago.

Initially, she planned to spend just a year in El Naranjo, helping in an orphanage. But after returning home to Preston, when her voluntary work came to an end, Joanne decided to head back to the rain forest village for good.

On returning to the rain forest love blossomed for Joanne and the orphanage's headteacher Victor Hugo de Carranza. The couple later married and have set up home in South America. They now have a son called Hugo.

Joanne said: "El Naranjo has changed dramatically in the six years that I have been living here. We have telephones in the village, a petrol station and even a photocopier!

"While everyone in the western world moves into the 21st century we are slowly catching up with the 20th."

Joanne's parents, Claire and James, who live in Whitestake, near Preston, jet out to see their daughter every two years, on a trip that takes them three days.

Proud mum Claire said: "She loves it out there, and is very happy. She teaches English and Music, and everything else that is needed!

"We went out there in November and took 25 recorders with us. And my next door neighbour then posted on another two dozen after us."