SHE was one of a team of teenagers who visited Ghana to help paint a classroom – now she is going back there for six months.

Sophie Carabott, aged 18, will head back to Africa this September to work at St George’s Anglican School in Ho.

She will live with the Bishop of Ho, the Rt Rev Matthias Mededues-Badohu and his family, and help to teach children who she met for the first time two years ago.

Sophie who goes to Harbour Church in Portsmouth, was looking for a worthwhile project to take part in after finishing her A-levels at Portsmouth College this summer.

She was one of 17 adults and teenagers from churches around Portsmouth who spent 10 days at St George’s in the summer of 2016. The ‘Project G’ team re-decorated a classroom for children with special needs, and led after-school games and activities for pupils.

It was an eye-opening experience for many of the teenagers, most of whom were making their first trip to Africa. So Sophie was keen to go back and help.

“The bishop lives next to the school, so I’ll be around to help in the classroom,” she said. “I’ll be teaching English and teaching some of the children with special needs.

“When we went two years ago, the children seemed really happy, even though they don’t have much. But it inspired me to want to go again. I feel like I am called to go travelling and help other people, and this was a place I already knew. Since that I date, I keep picturing their smiley faces which is calling me back!

“I’ll be away from my parents and learning about independence, so I’ll have to rely on God more. And I can’t wait to see those children again.”

Sophie, who recently renewed her baptismal vows, is looking to raise £3,000 to fund her trip and her stay in Ghana, has started a Just Giving page at --www.gofundme.com/bfsssw-get-me-to-Ghana

She hopes to raise more with a variety of fundraising activities, including cake sales at St Margaret’s church and St Jude’s Church. he will also do a sponsored run and swim (in the sea!)

Her mum, Clare Carabott, from St Margaret’s Community Church, Eastney, said: “I’m really excited for her. We feel at ease about this because it’s not a complete step into the unknown. Her dad was there with her in Ghana and we know the Bishop of Ho.”

The group from Portsmouth originally visited the Diocese of Ho in 2016 as part of our Inter-Diocesan West Africa Links (IDWAL). Each deanery in matched with a diocese in Ghana, and the link between Portsmouth and Ho is fairly recent. For more details of our links, see www.portsmouth.anglican.org/idwal.