LIVING in the mountains and teaching a class of poverty-stricken children for the past 12 months has been a 'life-changing' experience for one West Devon woman.

Ambitious Ione Georgakis embarked on a voluntary gap year after finishing school, helping educational charity the Project Trust provide holistic care to under privileged and orphaned youngsters in the Central American country of Honduras.

Ione led classes of children aged five to eleven, teaching them English and other subjects, as well as providing a home-type base for the children to prepare them for the often treacherous outside world.

Ione said: 'Over the past year I have been based in a small village in Siguatepeque, Honduras, where I have been living with a local retired couple up in the Honduran mountains and teaching in a bilingual school, Academia La Providencia.

'At the project, we aim to provide holistic care for some of Honduras' most vulnerable children with the ethos of prevention, rather than intervention.

'We attempt to home the children before they are scared by, or otherwise damaged, by the world.'

She said there were some 'shocking' statistics based on young peoples' educational and personal development, with only 40% of children in Honduras being given the opportunity to continue onto secondary education, and a 'cripplingly' high number finding themselves drawn into the very prevalent gang life that is seen in the country.

'Prostitution and a life of crime are the futures destined for many,' said Ione.

'We look to intervene through love and education.'

The school's children live in family homes with six other adopted brothers, sisters and parents, with the school staff acting as extended family, providing a secure home unit.

'On site there is a medical centre where the children in the homes and school receive physical and psychological support before and during their time there,' said Ione.

'Then we have the school, currently with 100 students from the surrounding villages. They receive a free private quality education with two meals a day and dental and medical care.

'We add a new grade each year to get our children up to grade 12 where we hope they head out into the world as prepared as possible.'

As well as teaching classes, Ione devised the subject curriculum, created assessments each term and even developed a new subject.

'I taught English to the brightest and funniest grade five class.

'I enjoyed the opportunity to use creative licence in our lessons, alternative methods of learning and practical uses for their English.

'During the placement I took the initiative to develop a new subject entitled 'global learning', which taught cultural studies — something I had identified as an area in which the children were extremely uneducated.'

Ione had presented her case for the new subject to the directors of the school, along with a six month learning plan, and they were inspired by the concept.

Global learning became a module of the English programme and counted towards 20% of their overall mark.

The former Tavistock College student was also given the task of running the school library, including all administration and maintenance, planned and organised an after-school theatre club and an after-school support programme for the children that were struggling in her class.

'Special educational needs and learning difficulties can be quite the taboo subject in Honduran schools, which means it's often brushed under the carpet and ignored, which is of no benefit to the children who struggle in silence.

'I gathered resources and work to support children with dyslexia and similar issues.

'We made significant progress over the 12 months and I am proud to say that all of the children attending passed the most recent academic year.'

Ione expressed thanks to all those who helped contribute to her fundraising before the trip, enabling her to take the once in a lifetime opportunity.

She said: 'I feel in awe of the wonderful project I was working for and am so truly grateful to have lived and learnt there over this past year.

'All of these opportunities allowed me to grow so much — I have developed so many new and wonderful skills that I will take with me on my future endeavours.

'One thing I am certain of is that I am here to help, to make my impact on the world where I can.

'I feel honoured to have been asked to return by the organisation as an independent volunteer for another 12 months.

'This journey has changed my life and I relish the thought of being able to continue on this path.

'So to everyone who helped me, I give my deepest thanks.

'You will never truly understand the impact that your support and donations have had on my life and on the lives of those I have been lucky enough to work with.'

Ione is now on a mission to continue to raise funds and support for the school and working to register the organisation as a UK charity to enable fundraising from home.

If anyone has any support or advice on registering a UK charity, would like to get involved or is involved in a local charity that would be interested in setting up a number share (using their organisation's registered charity number in exchange for a small percentage of the funds raised), contact Ione at [email protected]">[email protected]