15271/2GAZETTE & HERALD: GAP year student Crispin Northey will fulfill his dream of travelling to Africa next month when he leaves on a charity mission to teach in a small poverty stricken country.

The 20-year-old from Box has taken time out after completing his A-levels at Dauntsey's School, near Devizes, to save up for the four-month expedition to Lesotho, a tiny nation entirely landlocked by South Africa.

He will be teaching in schools and orphanages and running holiday clubs for children in the capital, Maseru.

The journey is part of the Transform programme that is run by Christian relief and development charity Tearfund.

"I've always wanted to go to Africa but I thought why not go off and work for a charity while I do it," said Mr Northey.

His parents have always supported the charity and Mr Northey said the family has been sending Tearfund money for years.

He was also inspired to travel by his older brother and sister. Arabella, 27, and William, 25, both went to Africa in their gap year when they were 18.

Mr Northey said: "Arabella was the first to go out and work for a Christian charity. She loved it and has been back a few times since."

Knowing about the work of the Tearfund in Africa, Asia and Central and South America, Mr Northey wrote to them offering his services. He was then invited to an interview to find out more.

"I originally wanted to go to Kenya, but when I read the mission statement for Lesotho I immediately changed my mind," he said.

"I'd never even heard of Lesotho but it's such a small country which is stricken by poverty and the spread of Aids. They really need the help."

Mr Northey said the statement described the country's history and included an itinerary of everything he would be doing there. "I thought it would be such a great thing to do as I've done similar things in England, like holiday camps looking after young children," he said.

Mr Northey said he's feeling prepared for the expedition and has already made friends with the seven other people going with him.

"I won't pretend I'm not scared and frightened but I've been speaking to people and I'm just really looking forward to it now," he said.

"I've met my group already and we've become great friends. I feel really prepared."

The group of eight will have three days of intensive training to teach them how to stay safe from disease and cope with the social challenges that people in Lesotho have to face.

"We all know bits and pieces about Aids but in training we will be learning about things we should expect when we get there and what to look out for," he said.

"A lot of people out there aren't going to live past the age of 30 or 40 and that's going to be difficult to experience."

Before he goes on March 9, Mr Northey has been working as a waiter in a family-run restaurant, the Northey Bar and Restaurant in Box.

He has also been preparing by becoming inoculated against rabies, polio and typhoid.

"I'm not sure what I want to do when I get back," he said. "I would be perfectly happy working for a charity as a career because that's what I love doing.

"I think I'll definitely come back a different person."

This month Mr Northey is intending to climb Mount Snowdon to raise £1,000 for Tearfund.

Anything he raises over that will be donated to the tsunami appeal.