A FATHER and daughter are travelling to Ghana in April to help school children living in poverty.

Darren Eden, 51, of Broad Walk, Hockley, and his daughter Beth, 14, are going to a school in Onwe, a town 150 miles north of the capital, Accra.

Darren, a London cabbie, first visited the Onwe MA Two Primary School in April with Ellis Osie-Wusu, a Ghanaian friend he met nearly 20 years ago while training cabbies.

The pair stayed in contact and Darren accepted Ellis’s invitation last year to visit.

Speaking of his first visit, Darren said: “I knew people in the village were poor, so I took some items of clothing.Ithen went into the school and that’s when I really felt like I wanted to help these people.

“I took some golfing pencils and you would have thought I’d given them a gold card for Harrods.

“I spoke with the teachers and pupils and told them I wanted to help. I played football with the kids. They all spoke great English.”

Darren was the first white visitor the village had had in nine years. To some, he was the first white face they’d seen.

He said: “Everyone was so friendly. They are really lovely people.”

When Darren returned home and told his family about the trip, Beth, who goes to FitzWimarc School in Rayleigh, asked her dad if she could go with him when he next visited.

She said: “I’ve always been interested in helping children, and when my dad came back from Ghana and I saw all his pictures and he told me what it’s like out there, I knew I wanted to help.

“When he told me how little they had, it reduced me to tears. It really made think about how much we have.”

Beth added: “Some of my friends can’t believe I’m going out there. It’s a one-off experience and they think it’s brilliant.” 

The pair want to take 100kg of clothing, as well as stationery.

They’re also hoping to take a computer.

Anyone interested in donating to Darren and Beth’s cause is asked to ring Darren on 07813 667483.