A GROUP of Year 7 students at Okehampton College have set up links with a school in Tanzania.

Letters have been exchanged with the Kazima Secondary School in the Tabora region and gifts sent as part of the project, with a series of fund raising events planned.

It is hoped eventually to open up the project to the rest of the College.

The students, with their form tutor, Jo Atkinson, were visited this week by one of the Tanzanian teachers and an education officer from that region.

The students learned about the country and the school and also how to count to ten in Swahili. The visitors also worked with students in an IT lesson.

This link is made possible through an organisation called FUM, which co-ordinates many projects in the Tabora region, mainly concerned with health, education and water.

Other British schools are being sought to help build up a network of links with Tanzania.

'It is so important that we consider and learn about other cultures and other countries and this is a very real and meaningful way for our students to take that responsibility,' said Mrs Atkinson.