A GRAN is set to follow in the footsteps of Angelina Jolie by visiting one of the world’s poorest countries with Unicef.

Jacky Newman, 65, will fly to the African country of Benin this week to tour around orphanages, schools and villages supported by the leading children’s charity.

She was selected for the life-changing trip out of thousands of Unicef volunteers across Britain because of her dedication to the charity.

Jacky, of King’s Road, Benfleet, has spent the past eight years working for free in the Unicef charity shop in Benfleet.

She said: “It’s going to be tough and emotional. I know it’s not going to be a holiday, that’s for sure.

“I’m not looking forward to seeing how neglected a lot of the children have been, but on the other hand I need to see it with my own eyes, so I can really have conviction when I ask people to donate money to these projects.

“I’ve never done anything like this before and when I talk to people who have been on a trip like this they all say it’s changed their lives.”

Jacky will be part of a five-strong group who will stay in hostels and menial accommodation while they travel around the humid countryside to see how Unicef projects are helping Benin’s poorest families.

Benin, formerly known as Dahomey, is one of Africa’s most stable democracies and is one of the continent’s biggest cotton producers.

However, despite this, the French colony ranks among the world’s poorest countries, due to heavy corruption and severe underdevelopment.

The country also has a big problem with slave trade and a large number of natives are voodoo worshippers.

It has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world and also the lowest literacy levels across the globe.

Unicef has been working in Benin for decades, setting up schools, care homes and orphanages.

Last week, Pope Benedict visited the country, which borders Nigeria and Togo and Hollywood star Angelina Jolie – a Unicef goodwill ambassador – has called on world leaders to do more to help the country.

Jacky, who has grown-up children and grandchildren, has also been chairman of Benfleet Operatic Society for a number of years and has appeared in nearly all its shows, most recently the Wizard of Oz, where she played Glinda and Aunty Em.

The caring volunteer, who also helps out at Benfleet Methodist Church, plans to document her visit with a photo diary and journal.

Jacky’s husband Barry, 67, is supportive of his wife’s trip and will do some of the Christmas shopping while she is away on her week-long visit.

She said: “He has been great. I know going just before Christmas is probably a hectic time, but I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

“Every year my husband and I hold a fundraising event at our home for our local Unicef group. This year we held a Pimms afternoon and in the past we’ve held charity swimming pool and BBQ parties.”

Two years ago, Jacky’s friend Matthew Read, chairman of the Benfleet branch for Unicef, went on a similar visit to Ghana.

When he returned, he was so touched by what he’d seen he pledged to himself and the Benfleet Unicef group to raise £100,000 for the projects he’s visited – a mammoth goal the group actually achieved.

When Jacky returns she, too, will share her experience with other Unicef volunteers and they will set about raising as much money as they can for Benin’s schools and orphanages.

Jacky, a former professional dancer, said: “The reason I put my name forward for this is because in this economic climate it is extremely difficult for any charities to get people to donate. A lot of people can be cynical about giving money and who can blame them?

“When I ask people to give us money, I want to be able to look them in the eye and tell them what I have seen and assure them every penny they give will go to helping the people who so badly need it.”