Lucky youngsters who go to North Kent College have just returned form a life-changing trip to South Africa.

Students from the college in Dartford spent a week in the country so they could help change the lives of people less fortunate than themselves.

The youngsters entered a competition to see who flew out to Cape Town and had to demonstrate how their skills and passion could help change lives for people in the country.

While there they helped provide a place of education to hundreds of children and the the winners, Jake Ripley, Kieran Hewitt and Jordan MacPherson, joined tutor Phil Miles and learning support assistant Debbie Risby on the trip in November.

They undertook projects in Wallacedene, the home to Irene Grootboom, the South African housing rights activist.

The mission was to build classrooms for both Enkululekweni Primary School and Hector Peterson High School and the trip was organised courtesy of Mark Lindop, a Dartford businessman, who sponsored the three students and the tutor to undertake the incredible experience with Mellon Educate’s Building Blitz project.

Mellon Educate is an Irish-based African development charity which has built around 125,000 homes in conjunction with the South African government.

This was the fourth time Mellon Educate had returned to the township and the project has already built almost 6,000 homes there over the years.

Many of the pupils at the schools now live in these houses and over the course of the week the students helped to build 14 classrooms, two kitchens, two covered shelters, a playground, an outdoor gym as well as creating two sports fields on grounds which had been reclaimed from the city of Cape Town for the school’s use.

Student, Kieran Hewitt, said: “The 2018 Building Blitz was a life changing experience, one that will stay with me forever. I learnt a lot from the other volunteers and was able to use everything I know for a great cause. It opened my eyes to how lucky I am and has changed me for the better.”