A former Highsted pupil is basking in the glow of a life-changing trip to Africa.

Sian Frost has returned from a three-month trip to Lafia in Nigeria. She was among a voluntary group working to improve the livelihoods of local farmers as part of the international Citizen Service.

The project, for 18 to 25-year-olds, is part-funded by the UK Government Department for International Development (DFID).

It’s a full-on cultural exchange, with volunteers living with local families during their stay.
With support from the organisers, participants have to raise a total of £800 to enrol.

Sian, 24, said the journey has contributed to a new state of mind.
She said: “It’s opened my eyes to a lot of things and changed me as a person.

“I’ve learnt a lot of new skills and grown in confidence.
“My host family were really welcoming, I was a bit unsure at first, but they made me feel part of the family.

They didn’t have a great deal of electricity and no running or flushing water – we had to go and fetch it – but you get used to it after a while.”

Sian, of Bell Road, Sittingbourne, says she hoped others might be tempted to follow suit and experience for themselves her “amazing” African adventure.

Among the highlights, she said, was a placard-waving rally through the town of Lafia which she and her group took part in.

It was to raise awareness of child abuse and featured on local and national TV.
Ultimately, the former civil servant, who hopes to maintain her interest in voluntary work as she plans her next career move, said her fondest memories of Africa will be of its people.

She said: “Nigerian people are just very, very friendly...very happy.
“They will stop and talk to you and say, ‘Hi, how are you’?.

“I miss that friendliness and my host family.
“They had a four-year-old daughter and a two-month-old son, the daughter was quite a character.

“We played together quite a bit and I got quite attached to her - she called me Aunty Sian.
“I’d recommend this experience to anyone.”
For more information on the International Citizen Service, visit www.volunteerics.org